New Year...Old Letters

 

 

 

2013...a new year. We started our morning with coffee, homemade cinnamon rolls, and Jim's scrambled eggs. 

 

After breakfast we sat at the kitchen table and read

cards and letters

 my mother in law had saved over the years.

 

Jim handed me one of the letters and it was from his aunt. Reading her letter was like hearing her talk. I was holding in my hand a letter telling about her day, her family, the weather, her friends she had been with and ending with asking about my mother in law and her family. There were other letters and cards and two touched my heart as they were written by my two daughters, Stacy and Amy. The thing that was very meaningful to Jim was a large brown envelope addressed to his mom from his Uncle Jim, the uncle he is named after. His uncle was in the Army and had sent his mom a linen handkerchief as her Christmas gift in 1943, four years before he was born.

 

I began to think about how we have lost the art of letter writing. Holding a letter written by a loved one, seeing their writing, being blessed again by their encouraging words, or laughing at something funny they wrote is something we miss with text messages, facebook status', and email. These forms of communication are great but I am thankful for cards and letters that I can read over and over... and remember.

 

 

 

 

Cute poems were part of who she was

 

 

Fourteen years have gone by since our precious daughter went home to the Lord.

in memory of Amy Elizabeth

 

As I was thinking about her this week I went to a folder we have that holds some poems she wrote.  She had a great sense of humor and some of the poems really make you smile. 

This one was written about her Daddy, who was on a mission trip in Africa. This trip was one of his first since becoming Missions director for Life Outreach, International. She gave it to him when he returned.

It is one of my favorites. 

 

My Daddy Went to Africa

 

My Daddy went to Africa

And didn't take a gun.

If an elephant's after him,

Will he know to run?

 

Johnny said there's tigers there.

They just roam around the place.

And if you hear their stomachs growling,

You'd better hide your face.

 

Sally said her grandpa went

And met a crocodile.

He tried to take its picture,

But he refused to smile.

 

Billy said I better pray,

'Cause it's always night and never day.

The Indians come and tie you up,

Cook you for breakfast, and drink you out of a cup.

 

I told them that they all were silly,

and my Daddy would be just fine,

Because he was taking Bibles to the children,

So they could know about Christ.

 

There'd probably be no elephants, tigers, or Indians,

But I know if there were, he'll be safe because his journey's just begun.

 

 

It could get boring sometimes when she was in the hospital.  She wrote this one day during one of those times. I have typed it just as she wrote it.  I love it too!

 

hello

i'm joe.

this is

my dog

wiggles.

when my

dog wiggles

his tail

waggles.

wiggle's,

i love you.

 

Today, as every day, I thank the Lord for His gift to us of Amy!