I recently went down to the basement where our family room and daughter’s bedroom are located. I found my daughter in a comfy chair with a box I recolonized. It was a box of old love letters.
I smiled and asked her what she was doing. She replied, “Reading your and Dad’s old love letters. These things are great.”
I was pretty sure the letters were tame and I remembered Brett’s being very funny. Sometimes they contained little drawings, if there was room left on the paper. Those were my favorites.
The best of these sketches was a desert scene with a coyote and a tumbleweed; both were labeled for clarification. My husband is the best kind of nut and not a very good artist.
How did I come to have a whole box of love letters? Well, my husband graduated college a year before me and joined the Army. We were separated during my last semester of school and it was the 90s, so we wrote letters. Lots of letters. We wrote to each other almost every day. It was a beautiful way of communicating. I fear it is becoming a lost art.
As I said, most of our letters were not particularly steamy. Thank God this was before sexting. They were mainly just about our day and how much we missed each other. They are really quite lovely.
It made me happy to see my daughter reading them. I was not much older than her when they were written. She didn’t say much, but I know it gave her an appreciation for who we were before we had her. I think it is really hard for kids to imagine their parents young. These letters are certainly a glimpse into that.
If you had told me 30 years ago, my daughter would one day read these, I would have thought that crazy, but here we are. Had I known, I don’t think I would change a thing I wrote. I’m happy for Josie to know this side of me.
I have also gone back a few times over the years, during various moves and read some of them. They never fail to make my heart smile. I loved Brett so much and still do. He is my lobster.
Technology is great. I certainly don’t want to give it up, but I think everyone needs a letter from time to time. I write my daughter at school, although I suspect she rarely checks her mail. I also occasionally sit down and write a card to a friend. I need to do that more. The world needs more letters of love—no matter who they are written to. Just write a damn letter and make someone’s day.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
