Letter #4: 5/29/20

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 29th, 2020

Dear Friend,

The weeks have gone quickly and we have now been home for 11 weeks due to the pandemic. My son has another week and a half of third grade left. He has to do what is called e-learning on the computer at home. He enjoyed it for many weeks and was excited with the newness of the independence and responsibility. However, he is now quite ready for it all to be done. I don’t blame him. It has been a lot for kids to all of a sudden be home and not have their routines or be able to play with their friends.

My mom attended the “old” St. Peter’s in Kenosha, WI which was a four-room school house. There were two grades per room and only 12 in her class- 3 boys and 9 girls. Nowadays that concept seems so primitive. It’s hard to fully grasp how much has changed in just one generation. My mom loved her small school experience and says that she and the few kids from the “old” school were always at the top of their class when they moved on to attend the big high school with over 400 students per class. There is a lot to be said for the individual attention they probably received with the tiny class sizes during their formative years. What were your school years like? Did you attend a one-room school house? Were you a teacher?

What was your favorite subject? My son will tell you his favorite subjects are lunch and recess. Silly boy! I always enjoyed math. In my yard I just made a circle of decorative bricks around a beautiful birch tree and filled in between the tree and the bricks with fresh mulch. It looks very nice. I told my son if he thinks he’ll never use geometry in real life to look at what I just made- a circle! He didn’t seem all that impressed. Haha!

My new puppies, Cooper and Fritz, are getting bigger. They are Papillon-Cockapoos and I can tell already that they are intelligent breeds. They have picked up on our routines and they have learned to sit. They are fluffy and loving and adorable and so much fun! I’m trying to teach them how to shake. “Sit” is first and then I try to get them to lift up a paw and shake my hand. I remember when my husband was teaching our corgi how to roll over. It was the most entertaining sight! Brian was on the living room floor with that dog for hours rolling over again and again and trying to get the dog to copy him. It was so funny! Finally, our corgi with his giant ears and long floppy body would do a side flip type move that passed as “roll over.” Have you ever taught a dog a new trick? I could use your tips and advice, friend.

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:

What were your school years like? Did you attend a one-room school house? Were you a teacher? What was your favorite subject? Have you ever taught a dog a new trick?