“Letters from Mom”

Mom wrote me hundreds of letters and would often send me greeting cards with snipped comics or articles from newspapers or magazines she thought I'd enjoy.

The title of this post is printed on the outside of a Current® “Country Folk Art” greeting card with a hand-drawn illustration of a very old barn, surrounded by apple trees, horses, pigs, ducks, and rabbits. Inside the card is, oddly, a photo of me and mom, a girl named Noël, and a girl named Elizabeth, taken shortly after I’d apparently been weeping uncontrollably (at a COR retreat) at some point towards the end of my senior year of high school.

10/24/91
Hi, Love,

I’m at work early again with a few minutes to write. Jenny had to make up a French quiz this morning. She also has a history test and a theology test today. I remember days like that. Whew!

I’m going to call you in a little while. I know you’ll probably be sleeping, but you said you would call last night when Lanie got there, and you didn’t call back and I’m mother worried. Haven’t you been getting all my messages to take care of yourself? Anyway, bear with me – I think I’ve been doing a little better.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to talk when you call the office. It’s been pretty busy around here (not that it isn’t always). Besides, I don’t like to use that line because it costs the company money. But I do love to talk to you. It’s funny – when you call, I feel good that you want to talk to me, but I also get concerned that you might be feeling lonely or down or homesick. I think I’ll do a David – I’ll just assume that you don’t want to talk to me only when you’re down and that you actually like to share the good stuff, too, because you like me.

I hate to say it, but I gotta get to work. Actually, they just said Florida lost over 69,000 jobs this year – I guess I should be grateful to have a job. You never know. Become a professional so you can work for yourself. Did I say that?

I love you, hon — honest, with all my heart. Feel my hug?

Mom