Growing up in a separated family, I was always traveling from one parent’s house to the other. Sometimes, my dad would leave secret notes in my suitcase that I would only find once I’d reached my destination.I received this note when I left for graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art. For some reason, I never removed this note from my suitcase, and it still has its home there today, even though it has been over ten years since I left for grad school, and almost seven years since his death. I find this note again, for the umpteenth time, whenever I travel anywhere with my suitcase. It brings me comfort.
It’s funny, as a young person I was always mortified when my dad called me “Wiggle” in public. Dad was a genius nickname-giver. The nickname was coined when I was a little girl — he would chase me around and tickle me endlessly. I would love to hear him use that nickname one more time!
