Humanities Moments

Things Usually Turn Out Alright

Contributed by Esther Mackintosh, President of the Federation of State Humanities Councils
Farm in winter

Esther Mackintosh explains how a single letter from her father offered solace during an especially trying period of her life.

As a graduate student facing an uncertain future, Mackintosh took refuge in her father’s written words, which described his own challenges as a newly married farmer during the Great Depression. His letter concluded with a question posed to his daughter: “Would it help you to know that things usually turn out alright?” Thanks to her father’s words, Mackintosh, herself a scholar of stories, could contextualize her own unfolding narrative in light of her family history.

Title

Things Usually Turn Out Alright

Description

Esther Mackintosh explains how a single letter from her father offered solace during an especially trying period of her life.

As a graduate student facing an uncertain future, Mackintosh took refuge in her father’s written words, which described his own challenges as a newly married farmer during the Great Depression. His letter concluded with a question posed to his daughter: “Would it help you to know that things usually turn out alright?” Thanks to her father’s words, Mackintosh, herself a scholar of stories, could contextualize her own unfolding narrative in light of her family history.

Contributor

Esther Mackintosh, President of the Federation of State Humanities Councils

Identifier

esther-mackintosh-things-turn-out-alright

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