Moms Papers & CorrespondenceI thought he was talking about bowling pins.

Today is Sunday August 26th 2018. I am thinking about my family. My wife and my kids. All my kids showed up this weekend for one thing or another.

Two were attending a friends wedding, two were getting ready to go back to college and one showed up to hang out while waiting for her boyfriend to get done cleaning up the county fairgrounds, as today also concluded our county fair week.

So much for the empty nest theory.

Soon enough though, soon enough.

I haven’t written any articles for awhile now this summer, “summers getting away from me, too much stuff breaking, fighting with my riding lawn mower…” blah blah blah, excuses, excuses, right?

So if you read my stuff about ‘schedules’ you know you can just pick up where you left off. Sundays writing schedule is to honor my mom and her writing endeavors.

Thinking about my family and it being Sunday, moms day, I was thinking what could I write that was hers and what could I write about concerning family.

One thing that I liked that my mom did was… she wrote letters to people. I always thought that was cool. Even when I was little. As crazy busy as she always seemed it also seemed that she had the time to drop a note to family and friends.

One of her favorites was Karen. Cousin Karen, is how I remember her. Karen has passed on now, way too young and as you probably know my mom has been gone a long time also.

Here is a letter that cousin Karen wrote in response to a letter that my mom had sent her, I don’t have my moms letter but I think Karen’s letter, from her perspective, paints the picture of family that I was feeling this weekend.

My kids are all grown now, and are, and have, become my friends also. I love it when they come home and we sit around BSing. This weekend the oldest was asking all sorts of ‘baby questions’, so keep your fingers crossed that I’m a grandpa this time next year!

Here is cousin Karen’s letter, “Family Friends are Forever”

“Dec. 1, 1987

Dear Aunt Annie,

I never got a chance to return your letter. That was a really nice letter. I will stand in the food line for you anytime.

You know, when I had Jason I realized the only real friends a person has have been around always. They are our family. They love me when I’m good. But most important they love me when I’m not as good.

My mom became my best friend, “besides my kids and Steve”. She will always be.

Social friends really do come and go. But family friends are forever. I guess blood is really thicker than water. I have a lot of social friends that don’t come from a family like mine. They are really missing something. It’s like a whole part of their personality is void. I thank God everyday for the family that I have. I don’t know how anyone could keep going from day to day without it.

The kids are gone to school and Steve’s at work. I have 10 minutes until I have to go too! We are all fine here, busy, busy, busy.

Over (Karen had written this at the end of the first page, it was a two page letter)

Deer hunting is over. I’m sure glad. They did pretty good this year. They took 7 out of 10 tags. One deer had been hit with an arrow. It was infected real bad. We had to throw out about half the meat. Jason went hunting. Carrying a gun for the first time this year. He got one too! He got it opening day. He shot it right in the heart. It was a nubbin buck. That got him hooked. I guess he will join the rest of them and get weird one week of the year.

Steve sure gets weird. I was talking about going bowling.

He says, “Yeah I just missed it.”

I say, “You just missed what?”

He says, “You know… the deer I was telling you about.”

I thought he was talking about bowling pins. That’s weird.

Ten minutes is up. I got to go.

Love ya,

Karen“