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Thursday, March 15, 2018

The Ides of May

I worked on the garage yesterday.  It was not easy.  It was not fun.  It was necessary.

The boxes were threatening to take over my parking space.  There were newspapers and scraps of paper and loose sheets of bubble wrap all over the floor.  I collected and sorted and organized and threw out and stacked up and swept.

Then I sat down on one of the too-heavy-for-me-to-lift-alone boxes filled with books and looked to my right.  There, on top of an open box of memories, I found this:

The next time you think-about-but-put-off-for-now-and-then-forget-to-write a letter to someone you love,  I hope you remember the joy I felt when I held my father's handwriting, 48 years after the fact, small rivulets of tears running down my cheeks, smiling at his ability to recognize his own failings, not wanting to be a bother, but sending me a note which is not a platitude.

I framed it.  It's in the garage, on the shelf next to the refrigerator.  I'll see it every day.

So, go and write that letter you've been putting off.  Someone will love you for it.
*****
In case his handwriting is undecipherable, I've transcribed the note for you:

5/15/70
Dear Suz
     The Ides of May are upon us. and we yet survive.
     Hope you are very fine and well. and I look forward to seeing you soon and having you around.
     Lots of platitudes floating around in my head but don't want to annoy you with them but this is not a platitude
                          Love!
                            Daddy

6 comments:

  1. This makes my heart so full. I recognized that handwriting IMMEDIATELY and then, suddenly, it got all dusty in here.... xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He was something special, wasn’t he? And he loved YOU soooooo much!
      a/b (Mama)

      Delete
  2. Just love this! I love finding treasures like this. I keep watching lots of videos on card making--I just need to get into my craft room and make some.

    Thanks for sharing this with us.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Stacy xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to make my own envelopes (from glossy magazine pages) in college..... hmmm.....
      a/b

      Delete
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