As I sit at my computer transcribing today’s letter, I am also thinking of the New Year and how life is constantly cycling around and around. The changing of the years is one such cycle. For me, the New Year is the beginning and the end of another year of my marriage. My husband and I were married on New Year’s Eve. We always start the New Year with the beginning of another year of our marriage. It also makes it really easy for my husband to remember our anniversary.
I have never been one for making New Years’ resolutions. Why bother with resolving to do something that only lasts a few weeks and is quickly forgotten? And then later, when it is remembered it becomes something to regret. I don’t like regrets. I don’t like to dwell on them either. That’s too much energy wasted. I like to make decisions and move on from there. This year however, I really want to set a goal for myself. I’ve had my grandparents’ letters sitting in a box for over 10 years. I want to share them and really truly read them all. So I’m setting myself a goal, to transcribe and publish one letter per day through the entire year of 2013.
I have a lot of things to look forward to this year. Some of them are predictable, as in, they happen every year; for example, the annual ritual of selling Girl Scout cookies. I know I get frustrated with the bureaucracy of the whole process and it pretty much does fill up the months of January through March. But I do ultimately like doing it. This year, my family has a couple of landmarks to experience. My oldest will be leaving elementary school and moving on to the big bad middle school later this year. Much like the shock of achieving 18 years of marriage yesterday, I wonder: where did the time go? My baby girl is now a pre-teen, staring down at the hormonal cliff of puberty. I’m also planning a trip back east to visit family and friends, many of whom I have not seen since high school. Definitely an event to look forward to!
My grandparents’ letters remind me that even though my grandfather was away from home, life still went on. Bills had to be paid. The rain still fell (or in my grandfather’s case it didn’t). There were things that they were looking forward too, like the birth of their youngest child and a time when my grandfather could be home for good. So I hope you stay with me as I share the next 365 days (and more) of their lives, 70 years ago.
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- July 6, 1942 Envelope
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- July 6, 1942, p. 1
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- July 6, 1942, p. 2
Letter transcription:
Mon.
Dear Mother,
Just read your July 2nd +3rd letters. Didn’t get any mail Sat. The mail comes here in the P.M. and since there are no deliveries in the P.M. I don’t get the letter until Mon.
I can’t figure what the Insurance to the P. reality Co. is for. That seems too much unless they are figuring the car but that isn’t due until Aug. So don’t pay it until then Aug 11 to be specific. The house Ins. Surely isn’t that high unless its the 3 yr. coverage you talked about.
We had a very busy P.M. must have had close to 400 and only three of us. Hope some of those new (Jgs) get here before long. Maybe I shouldn’t have applied for the Flight business. That would htup stop any transfer to peru (penn?) etc-Maybe we can get a transfer there after the course is finished.
Do the boys know or do they just suspect your condition etc? You spoke of them being so considerate.
We haven’t had any rain here since the night you left. Just a few little spurts you can imagine how dry it is.
(page 2)I didn’t say anything to the folks about the Flight school. Because I don’t know if it will go thru etc.
I thanked Boonie for the candy, wrote Ruth + the folks yesterday.
That bank account sounded pretty good hope we can continue it there for a while. When + if I get the uniform money I think we should apply it on the note to D. Ream + stop that interest. Maybe if I get a leave we can attend to those things.
Well, I write more next time,
Love Daddy
Genealogy Lady 
From your seat, you are able to clearly see how life in general has changed in these 70 years… What a wonderful vantage point. As for the “puberty cliff”, I, too, am looking at one for my little girl. 😉
Of course, I probably won’t be around in another 70 years, but it would be interesting to know the future (especially in regards to how our pre-teens survive the puberty cliff) and to wonder who might be looking back trying to figure us out.
Indeed!!
Thank you Sheryl! I also like the predictability of the early months of the year, even though they tend to be very hectic for us.
Happy New Year and happy anniversary! I also find that there is a certain predictability about what happens during the various months. I enjoy January because, for me, it is a time to slow down a little after all the hustle and bustle of December.
Happy New Year to you and your family, Deborah! Wishing you great family history finds in 2013.
Thank you Gini! Happy New Year to you and yours. 🙂
Happy Anniversary, Deborah! I am very glad I stumbled upon your blog. I am really enjoying the transcripts of the letters (the voyeur in us all??) and how you frame them historically. Thank you and Happy 2013!
Thank you Paul! I find that the letters are pretty enjoyable by themselves so I don’t have to do too much besides transcribing. I like how they provide me a good jumping off point to do more research about World War II which is actually a period in history that I haven’t been particularly interested in before. It also gives me a platform for sharing my genealogy research on this side of the family. 🙂
i’m with you when it comes to those New Year’s resolutions. But it sounds like you have a workable plan. You do absorb so much more from those letters, going at that one-a-day transcription pace. I gleaned so much detail when I took on a similar project last year.
Best wishes for a happy, productive New Year–and happy anniversary, too!
I think one a day is do-able. I am about to get really busy so hopefully I’ll still be able to handle one a day! I also think if you do too many all at once people get overwhelmed and check out of the narrative.
Happy anniversary and Happy New Year! It sounds like your family has some very exciting milestones ahead.
Thank you! And a very Happy New Year to you. I belong to a book reading group that challenges itself to read 50+ books a year. Last year I read almost 80. I will look forward to seeing what you recommend in the next year.
Thanks! If you read anything good, please let me know! I appreciated your recommendations.
I have an account at Shelfari where I track my books. I don’t really like goodreads as it is so hard to look at books without other people’s reviews popping up. My display name (at Shelfari) is also genealogylady.