“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.

Mom sent me so many cards and letters over the years. She’s been gone for a little more than a decade now and I am still finding ones in drawers and folders, tucked into books or hidden in between the pages of old instruction manuals for electronics I no longer own.

Today (October 12, 2022) I found a card she gave me when I graduated from the University of Florida on May 3, 1996. On the front is a cartoon cheetah wearing sunglasses and a cap and gown, holding a diploma and receiving a handshake from (presumably) a cartoon university president. Inside is printed, “Proud of ya, dude!” and the following note from her:

David,
Never be afraid of tomorrow —
Always treasure today –
Remember all the good in your life
And keep your eyes on the stars.

You are an incredible person and how you look, what your title is, or how much money you make matter little next to what is in your heart.

I love you, and I don’t know if I could possibly be any prouder —
Mom