Letter #3: 5/26/20
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 26th, 2020
Dear Friend,
Memorial Day was yesterday. Are you a Veteran? If yes, I sincerely thank you for your service to our country. My grandfather was a Marine stationed in the South Pacific during WWII. I have a few pictures but I don’t know any of his stories from that time period. Before he passed away, he would go to my nephew’s grade school each year and talk to his class about being a WWII Veteran. One boy asked him if he survived the war. My grandpa looked himself over and said, “Well, yes.” My nephew always wanted to learn about the military and enjoyed time with Grandpa Jerry. My nephew is now a high school graduate and has joined the Army. He leaves next month for basic training. He was just a little boy that wanted to see Grandpa Jerry’s old military pictures and now he’ll be a solider, too. Time sure flies.
I wish I had known to ask my grandparents more questions when I was younger about life during the war- being deployed, the war effort back home in the USA, the sacrifices, the struggles, the triumphs. What do you remember of this time?
My grandma always had a stocked freezer and pantry and food never went to waste. I see more clearly now how those habits grew from the periods of struggle and shortage that she lived through. With the current pandemic, there have been limitations on the purchasing of certain items (for example you can only buy 1 carton of eggs at a time), some items are completely unavailable (flour has been hard to find), and even just going to the store is more difficult than it used to be (we need to wear a mask, gloves, and some stores limit the number of people or don’t let children in). With only being in my current house for one year and all the projects I have going on here I had not yet taken the time to build up a reserve supply of much of anything. I’m slowly building up a decent pantry and supplies in case going to the store becomes challenging again and necessities become unavailable. I know this pandemic has changed me and how I operate my household. How did living through the Depression or WWII or another major event change the way you live?
Well, my friend, I’m working hard on my yard projects and training my two new puppies. The puppies have brought much joy to our lives during this challenging time. They have so much energy!
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:
Are you a Veteran? What do you remember of life during the war? How did living through the Depression of WWII or another major event change the way you live?
