In A Walk with Grandpere: Mickey’s Souvenirs, the simple traditions are portrayed as having one of the most significant and dramatic role in the narration. Although traveling to a far-off destination to have some fun or undergoing some luxurious experiences seem like the perfect way to bond as a family, as the book reveals, the best experiences may be found in the simplest forms of ritual that rely on love and are consistent and gentle.
In the case of Mickey, traditions start with a soft stroke of the hand of Pipere on her shoulder before the sunrise. Every day, as the sky in the morning is still dark, and the world is silent, Pipere rises her up to have their sacred walk by the seaside. It is a tradition that is repeated in summer after summer and it becomes the beat of the childhood of Mickey. These early morning moments when the sand is chilly on her feet and when the first light is touching the horizon are the moments that she feels closer to her grandfather. Pipere does not hurry her, does not scold her, or pour in a lot of puzzling details into the silence. Rather he lets the natural world give its silent lessons.
The other tradition of Mickey is to gather a collection of seashells with Pipere. The shells they collect are not those having been selected on the basis of perfection or beauty, but on the basis of their individuality. There are broken some, and there are those that are cracked, and many are shaved off by the tide. But all of them are absorbed into her treasure trove. This meaningless ritual makes her realize that what makes an object worth remembering is the memory, and not how perfect it looks. All these shells soon become her reminders of her relationship with Pipere, of warm hands, of soft conversations and peaceful walks they were fond of.
Mickey is also influenced by family traditions during her summers in Maine other than walking with Pipere. Visits to the candy store to saltwater taffy, picnics along the shore with clambakes, afternoons of tide pools working become all beloved traditions. They are reiterated not because they are extraordinary but because it is reassuring, pleasing and unifying.
Mickey finally starts to see the value behind these traditions, as she grows older. She is more conscious of the old age of Pipere, his weary treading over the rocks, his cautiousness in his movements. But despite the change in the physical world, their traditions do not change. She even slows down, extending an arm to support him, as he had earlier extended a hand to support her. This change brings another dimension of simple traditions into the spotlight of the book: they can change over time, but still, they will not lose their force. Mickey also realizes that traditions do not stand still–they evolve along with us, and they change with life.
The tradition that becomes the most emotionally important is the one that follows the journey of Mickey to France. In her visit, she selects a crafted pipe to give to Pipere as a present to her, and the idea is based on their old custom of giving little but significant gifts to one another. As she subsequently observes the pipe ever so softly put into his hands during his funeral, the gesture then becomes a culminating, effective extension of their communion.
Later on, when Mickey comes back to the cabins at the seaside, she is welcomed with a sense of both newness and oldness. The cabins are updated and modernized, the walkways are more smooth and the feel has changed a little. But still, it is the same sea. The horizon is also glowing with the same golden light at sunrise. The tide pools are bright in the same little animals with which she had played with Pipere. And the beach, the very center of whatever she remembers, is like stepping into a picture that has been in her heart all her life.
Among the most emotional things she founds in the cabins is the pearl-handled knife of her mother, still in a drawer of the kitchen. This subtle scenario of belonging taking Mickey back to her childhood represents the continuity of the generations and a reminder that the traditions are not just existing in repetition, but also in the objects and locations that do not change. The knife is what unites Mickey to her mother in a way that shells do the same to Pipere.
When Mickey and her grandchildren are strolling along the shore, she can sense the strata of peace on her. She is reminded of her childhood watching them pick up seashells and run on the sand and explore the tide pools. She can read the reflections of herself in their eagerness, and in the presence of her hand it is as though the ghost of Pipere was by her side
This book also has one of the most emotional points when Mickey glances up and sees a halo-shaped cloud floating above the beach. This quiet scene gives her the feeling of the presence of her grandfather, a subtle reminder that love does not know time or location.
A Walk with Grandpere: Mickey’s Souvenirs is a wonderful tribute to the changing of traditions with every new generation and to the love of the family members. It is just a reminder to the readers that traditions do not remain the same all the time-they are to be developed alongside us, nourished by us, and be transmitted further on as a present to the loved ones.
Written in partnership with Tom White
