Thursday, February 19, 2015

It's Frozen Outside, But My Heart Is Melting!

My sister sent me an email today with something pretty cool.  She had torn apart her home office at Mom's and in the redo she found a letter.  It was from my Dad.  Now you may remember his sweet letter to my Mom at Christmas that I posted here.  The letter Midge found is a bit earlier in his life.  It's a letter he wrote to his Mom when he was about 8yrs. old.  It's very simple, very childlike in the handwriting with misspelled words and all.  What struck me as amazing was the fact it was in such great condition. Yesterday would have been Dad's 95th birthday. He passed away in 1976 at age 56.  To think that the letter is 80 plus years old and still together is really special.  I couldn't get the letter to download here from my email so I took a pic of it from the computer.  It just didn't turn out clear enough to print it here. I'll have to take a nice photo of it next time I'm home.  Dad tells his "Momma" about his time spent with his Aunt Jo.  He tells her he's having a good time and going down town with Aunt Jo lots of times. He asked how his mother is doing and then asks sweetly if he can stay until Sunday..."Can I Momma?" Then signs his name, Carlyle.  Dad may be gone but I think of him everyday.  I usually post about him on his birthday, but this year I think there was a reason I waited until today.  The memories I have of Dad have held together like the paper that letter was written upon. They've become sweeter and more meaningful.  I don't know why out of all the things Grandma had that this letter was kept.  However, I'm grateful that a small piece of his childhood was preserved all these years.  Happy Birthday Dad!

21 comments:

Debby said...

So sweet to find that letter. He was so young when he passed. Hugs

Kim said...

Such a treasure to find. Warms your heart on a cold day.

Shady Del Knight said...

What a treasure your sister found, dear YaYa! I have been following you long enough to know how much you loved and admired your dad and how very much you miss him. My heart aches for you when I think how such a great husband and father died much too soon. It does seem remarkable that the paper upon which your dad's boyhood letter was written has been preserved intact all these years. I can't wait to read it.

Thank you for sharing another story about your father, dear friend YaYa. The more I learn about the man (and the boy) the greater my respect for him.

Hilary said...

Oh I love this. Such beautiful timing for your sister to find this letter from your dad. It is indeed a treasure.

acorn hollow said...

I think he has been thinking of you that's why the letter was found.
Cathy

Stacy said...

Awesome! I love getting to read things written by my family. What a nice surprise for you.

Laurie said...

I can certainly see why your heart is melting. If I had found something from my daddy's past like this, first of all, it would make me gasp for air. Then, I would probably cry.....and then I would realize what a treasure! I'm so happy for you!

betty said...

This is so sweet! What a wonderful find to have found and something I am sure will continue to be treasured by your family!

betty

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I hope, one day when I am gone and someone finds Pat's love letters to me and mine to him, that they treasure them as you do your father's. Some of our letters have been lost..later ones..and I'm devastated over it but there is notihng I can do. This was so sweet..just be remembered so fondly..what a wonderful thing.

Rick Watson said...

That's amazing the letter survived.
I think of my mom and dad every day too.
Today is the third anniversary of my mom's death.
R

gin said...

Beautiful!

Sweet Tea said...

That is so special!
Love that sort of thing.

Rosaria Williams said...

Written words keep the voice and intention alive and in the present forever. This is quite a gift!

Nonnie said...

That is absolutely priceless! What a treasure.

CHERI said...

There is something so special about the written word...wish more people actually wrote letters instead of email. I can remember running to the post office when I was a little girl and being so excited to have mail. So glad this special treasure was found.

Julia said...

What a beautiful family treasure to have found Yaya. I can understand why it warmed your heart...His aunt must have been special, for him wanting to stay and have a good time with her. That letter was saved for a good reason.

I hope that you can post the letter. I would like that very much.

For some reason, your comment that appeared on my blog hasn't appeared in my inbox. I usually check my blog from my email.
I'll be reading my comments from my blog from now on to make sure I don't miss your comments.

It appears that other bloggers are having similar problems with Yahoo and AOL for some reason.

Have a great weekend. I hope the knees are getting stronger.
Hugs.
JB

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Your Mom and Dad must have been so much in love that your Grandma gave your Dad's writings to your Mom. I mean all kinds of letters etc. Your Mom must be so well organized that she saved this letter and preserved it to keep it safe. How wonderful!
I think that today's couples can learn a thing or two from the way your Mom saves your Dad's articles.

CatieAn said...

What a sweet treasure to find.
The older we get the more special those little 'love finds' mean

TexWisGirl said...

that is a sweet memento! congratulations on your POTW!

Eddie Bluelights said...

Very moving ~ congrats on your POTW award . . . Eddie ...:)

Bone said...

Wonderful story. I love stories about when my mom and dad were younger.