Letter #2: 5/23/20
Stories of A Lifetime Presents: “The Letters”
Community correspondence sparked from the isolating 2020 pandemic focused on easing the burden of loneliness.
Hello, my name is Holly. I am 40 years old and a single mom of a 9-year old boy named Easton. His father, Brian, passed away from cancer two years ago. I enjoy writing, I love history, and I like being a helpful, involved community member. I keep thinking about my grandma, and if she were alive today how lonely she would be because of this pandemic. I know receiving a letter would turn her day around. It wouldn’t matter if the writing was profound or merely about what I ate for dinner. Knowing someone cared to communicate would bring instant joy. So, my friend, I’d like to write some letters to you. I know they will help me feel useful and less lonely. I hope these letters are helpful to you and that they spark you to reminisce about your own life, love, and good times.
May 23rd, 2020
Dear Friend,
Nice weather is finally here! Yay! By nice I mean it’s warm out. It’s incredible how the warmth of the sun can change one’s whole mood. We’ve been cooped up far too long it seems, and now we get to be out in the yard and breathing fresh air. If I could give the weather a feeling, I’d say that it’s “Happy” outside!
I am fixing up a very old home and long neglected property that I purchased a year ago. The exterior of the home including a new roof and siding was completed around Christmas 2019. It looks like a totally different home. It turned out so beautiful! The rest of the yard is pretty sad. There’s a mixture of rock and mulch and weeds and debris surrounding the house. There’s not even one bush! The yard is all dandelions and other weeds with sparse (and I mean sparse) amounts of actual grass. I know what you’re thinking- what did she get herself into! But, I live for doing projects. I’m definitely a doer and I love seeing the transformation of something from old and icky into something fresh and pretty. Plus, I’m highly motivated to provide my son with a nice home coupled with a strong work ethic.
I’m gathering ideas on how to improve the yard and I’m excited about it. Did you ever own a home? Do you enjoy yard work? My son’s dad loved to mow the lawn. He really worked hard at keeping it looking great. I think it was fun for him and a big sense of accomplishment. I miss him and wish my son could grow up learning these skills from him. My Papa loved mowing the lawn, too, and would mow the lawn 3 times a week! When I was growing up I never was allowed to have a swing set because Papa said it would ruin the lawn. I even had to have my little tiny swimming pool on the driveway so that it wouldn’t kill a circular patch of grass. I have no hard feelings about that at all. I only bring it up because I think it’s both funny and admirable how much he loved caring for his lawn. Although, having a swing set would’ve been awesome and having the little pool on soft grass would’ve been nicer than on concrete!
We have 3 weeks left of homeschooling activities until summer break. It’s been a long spring with schools being closed and my son needing to do all this work at home. He’s a good worker and smart, but it’s really getting to him to not be able to interact with other kids. So far, many of the summer activities for kids are cancelled. I need to figure out a way for him to have an enjoyable summer. Maybe I need to get a kiddie pool for him. I’ll have no concern about putting it on my lawn. In fact, it will help kill the weeds!
With love,
Holly
If you’d like to write back to me, you are very welcome to.
I will get a PO Box soon and let you know what that is. For now, maybe someone could help you scan and email your letters back to me at Holly@StoriesofALifetimeLLC.com. Otherwise, maybe you’ll find it helpful to just journal your thoughts and write them down without sending them. You do what is helpful to you, friend.
Conversation Starters:
Do you prefer summer or winter weather? Did you ever own a home? Do you enjoy yard work? Was there someone in your life that loved to take care of the lawn?
