The Gift of Time

I receive many cards and correspondence during the Christmas season. Some are just cards with a signature, some are cards with pictures of family and loved ones. Some are custom cards with portraits of the family or family events that have transpired through out the year. News of weddings, deaths and births. Grandchildren and children. Each card or letter is special and unique and each is treasured. Friends and relatives sharing bits and pieces of their lives.

However occasionally you receive one that is really memorable. This year we received a letter from relatives of O Wise One's. They are an elderly couple in their late eighties named Ralph and Marie. Their card was in the form of a letter updating  us on their life.

They have now moved in with their daughter and family due to health concerns and their ages. They write:

"Marie and I spend most of our evenings re-reading our old letters to each other, which Marie saved. They include our courtship of 2 years, as well as my time in service and overseas duty in India, approximately another two years during WWII. Our oldest son was born just 9 days after I landed in Bombay, India in August of 1944, so Marie had alot to tell me! Over the course of 4 years they account for about 900+ letters. This doesn't include letters from our parents and friends, many of which were kept as well. They bring back many memories which, without them, would be lost forever. "  

I find it positively romantic that this couple who have been devoted for over fifty years are spending their remaining years reliving those moments of their lives that they shared so long ago. A young wife writing to her soldier husband far away in a distant land. Sharing the birth of their first child and the everyday things that he was not there to share.  Reminders to them of what their love has survived and endured.

Imagine what a treasure these may someday be to their grandchildren and great grandchildren. A window into another time. 

In an age of email and electronics I would like to encourage people to write to their loved ones. When you get old you will not be reading emails or Facebook posts. They will be long gone and forgotten. Nothing can replace the old fashioned pen and paper. If not letter writing then maybe keeping a journal. It's never too late to start building those memories.  

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter