have you ever read an old letter written by a loved one? its always a cool experience to re-live the past through someone else's eyes...to see the date on the envelope, the stamp they bought from the post office, the unique wording and one of a kind handwriting. i saved all the letters and cards that brian sent me while long distancing it during the college years. i always love looking through those boxes and remembering old times.
i recently came across a bunch of letters that my dad had written to my grandparents while he was away at college in Boston. one afternoon, i put the kids down for a nap and spread the letters out on the floor. i tried to read them in order so i could get the full experience. all the envelopes were included so i knew what month and year they originated. and i would expect nothing else from gary than a recording of the exact time and day of the week at the top of each letter. so awesome.
dad wrote about many things: basketball, classes and homework, friends, family, shopping (which really had me laughing), Red Sox games, and most of all...my mom. he went on and on (and on and on and on) about how much he loved her. it was so cute.
dad also said several times what good parents my grandparents were to him. i could not get over the sweetness of that. my dad was so expressive, thankful, and in-tune with his emotions. he wasn't afraid to share how he felt. i always admired that about him and reading the letters made me remember those qualities that i love so much.
another thing that stuck out to me was what dad wrote during the time shortly after the tragic loss of my mom's mom. he said that God and prayers were the only things getting him through that year. being four hours away from mom during the hardest time in their lives was difficult, to say the least. considering this present time in my life, i related to what my dad wrote so many years ago.
the last letter that i read blew my mind. dad wrote, "whatever you're doing, the people that you love have got to be more important than that thing. it should be that way for everybody. whether its in college or education or basketball or your job. thats just the way it is."
how perfectly does that paragraph describe my dad's view of life and family? completely. "life is about relationships." bottom line. done deal.
these letters were full of golden glimpses into the life of my dad. he wrote things that i could totally picture him saying. i laughed and i cried...a lot. it made me miss my dad but it made me so proud to be his daughter. if i am lucky enough to inherit a tiny fraction of his goodness and success then my life will surely be blessed.
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