Sometimes We Need To Know We Were Appreciated

An older sister who had gone away to college and came back home to prepare for her wedding was given this letter from her little sister ten years younger than herself. Aine, if you click on the letter, it should let you enlarge it to be able to read it.

Our creative speller was very expressive, however we frequently needed her to verbally translate. We discovered in our family research, she had a prominent ancestor who was also a "creative speller" many generations back, Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Massachusetts. That was a fun fact that helped her.

However, back to the thought. When you are older and start looking back over your life, you often wonder, "did I impact anyone, did I make a difference for anyone?" Having a letter such as this preserved for you reaches across the years with a hug from a loving sister that said "I admire you." It hasn't changed and there is even greater love today between the two. I am glad I found this in some old school papers as I was cleaning out the attic area.

Preserving Our Past for Future Generations

"Our great concern, our great interest, must be to preserve for the generations to come those wondrous elements of our society and manner of living that will bequeath to them the strengths and the goodness of which we have been the beneficiaries." Gordon B. Hinkley

In the past few years as I have seen multitudes more information coming forth, I knew that it was to be used to gather information for the future generations. One just has to go to a Genealogy Department in a library to find history written as it was happening from many view points to find true history. And, to find how much of history has been rewritten.

I hope to present my perspective for my family as well as those of my ancestors. What a jewel when you can find a letter that is in their hand writing. A distant cousin had kept a letter for distant grandfather which included his testimony of faith. My Mother-in-law wrote on the back of her picture her love of her husband. How wonderful for great grandchildren who never saw them interact to know this information. I write letters to my grandchildren so they have my handwriting and feelings on paper.