Dad - Reflections on Family

Bill & Mary - Christmas 1982

Dad's weekly letters were usually filled with accounts of projects around the house, weather reports, and family news from our phone calls and letters. Every once in a while he went beyond the every day and shared some of his thoughts and feelings about what was important to him. 

The following is from his first letter of 1982. 

"Our Christmas tree is down and the porch again all tidied up – – all that's left are the memories and a lot of fine presents we’ll be enjoying for a long time to come. But the best present of all is that you all feel very much a part of the family, and that we can all be close in spirit and love even though we may be physically separated by many miles.

We have been thrilled, too, by the fact that those who have married into the family and who have been born in have come to feel this close bond. My wish for 1982 would be that this can continue to grow and that, as we all grow in our separate ways and directions, we may also grow together in appreciation, love, and concern."