Memories

Last night I finally decided to look through some letters to my high school sweetheart that I had written after I was drafted out of my second semester in college in April 1943. Somehow when we finally “broke up” I talked her out of the letters she had saved so that I would have some record of those days away from home. I was going to try my best to arrange them in chronological order and then read them. What I found was a lot of letters from various people over the years which I had stored away. Mostly from girls, but also from various members of the family - even brother Bill’s first wife, Helen.

The find of the night was a group of letters that Betty had written to me while I was doing graduate study at the U. of Cincinnati the summer before we were married. I have often thought about that night of our first date when I blurted out “you are going to marry me, aren’t you?” And she did! I’ve wondered from time to time what the date of that “engagement” was. One of the letters answered that question. Dated August 24, 1948 it began:

“Happy Anniversary, dear Jim, Happy anniversary to you. July 25, 1948-August 25, 1948.” She went on: “A month ago I scarcely thought I’d be writing you. Scarcely thought that so much could happen in one short month. . . . Last month, I never dreamed I’d be planning a wonderful new life with you. A life of joy and happiness with our share of sorrow. But together, even sorrow can be sweet.”

But we are not “together” and now the sorrow is not sweet. In another six weeks we would have been married 57 years. Shakespeare had it wrong. Parting is not “such sweet sorrow.” But the memories of such precious years together are, and they bring their tears from time to time. Please know that I am growing stronger in those memories, and am doing well.