I may write for a living, but her words are simpler and clearer. She’s never believed it when I say she writes circles around me, but she always has.

A note: “you-know-who,” here, is Savannah Guthrie. My mom hates her, thinks she swooped the job from under Ann’s feet. Once a loyal viewer of Today, she hasn’t watched a single segment since the switch.

Anyway, here’s part of what was in my inbox tonight:

“When I was a little girl, mornings were rushed. Daddy shaving and getting ready for work, leaving the bathroom smelling like Old Spice, which was a nice treat every morning, and Mama bustling around the kitchen, grumbling and cooking those rubber eggs of hers, fussing at me to hurry so we wouldn’t be late…

…and then as I got older, things slowed down a bit and Mama and Daddy started this tradition of having their coffee together in the living room, discussing the day ahead. I’d listen and occasionally, if I was awake, join them and drink that coffee that I swear would bore through a cast iron frying pan, but more often than not, just let them have ‘their time.’  I respected this time and I also liked hearing them talk about what their kids were doing right.  I didn’t hear a lot of open praise growing up, but I overheard praise…and that helped, a lot actually.

I was so pleased that your Daddy and I had sort of gotten into a similar habit–not the coffee, but we would discuss what we saw and heard on the Today show as we were getting ready. It wasn’t that the subject matter was interesting or important, it just gave us something in common. I’d come out of the shower and he’d tell me what I missed and vice versa.  Then you-know-who spoiled that for me. I’ve tried, but I just cannot stomach her.  And we hit a dry spell.  However, we were fortunate enough to have a gifted & talented daughter who landed a job BEFORE graduation and now has interesting stories in our new favorite newspaper.  In the morning, every morning, Daddy tells me how many stories you have on the front page. That’s the competitor in him…

…In the evening (after I’ve read whatever lump of papers we’ve gotten) we discuss the stories that we found interesting or certain quotes or cute endings that you’ve put in them. 

I always like your endings.”

This is a story, I think, about my parents and newspapers. Newspapers may not matter to a lot of people anymore, but I’m glad they matter to them.