Pennsylvania

I thought I'd begin my letters from every state today. :) 

Fun Fact: Pennsylvania is the first state of the fifty United States to list their web site URL on a license plate.

More Stuff That's Good To Know: 

Pennsylvania was the 2^nd state in the USA; it became a state on December 12, 1787. 

State Abbreviation - PA

State Capital - Harrisburg
Largest City - Philadelphia
Area - 46,058 square miles [Pennsylvania is the 33rd biggest state in the USA]
Population - 12,281,054 (as of 2000) [Pennsylvania is the sixth most populous state in the USA, after California, New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois]

Anyway, my high school pen pal went to Creation Fest in 2005 & sent me this postcard:

I just went to the website & found out that one of this year's Creation Fests started this week & the other will be in the coming month.

Share Your Love of Writing

A journal entry from my sister:

I love looking back at old journal entries! This one is particularly appropriate for this blog, I think, because it is an example of how other people have encouraged me to write. I'd like to thank my sister for, on numerous occasions, reminding me to write in my journal and for always replying to my letters, my mom for telling me to "write it down" when I shared with her a cute story about one of my five children, and my grandma for starting my letter-writing obsession early. To those reading this blog, I encourage you to share your love of writing with others and inspire a young person in your life to write by sending them letters and always replying to theirs!

-Kristi Kritter

Germany

Mrs. Barbara has once again provided me with a delightful surprise to support one of my dreams for the blog...to have a letter from every country. :) I never would've expected a letter from Germany to be the first one I got, & I definitely wouldn't have expected to have one written in this beautiful German! Fun Fact: You would have to try one kind of German bread per day for almost a whole year in order to be able to taste them all! There are over 300 different kinds of bread in Germany.

I couldn't tell you what the letter says.  At the time I got it, I had a german neighbor who translated it for me.

A little background: 

In 1965, Frank was stationed in Germany.  I went there to be with him.  He had to have living quarters for us before we could go there and there were none available in the government housing area, so he rented an upstairs apt from a lady in Kandel, Germany.  Her name was Luise Metz.  We called her Frau Metz.  We already had two boys one 4 and one 2 and I was seven months pregnant with our 3rd child when I went to Germany.  Our daughter was born a month after I got there.  She had a lot of problems at birth and when she was about 2 days old they dismissed me from the hospital, but she had to stay there for a couple of more weeks.  I went back to our apt in Kandel with the boys.  I was in quite a lot of pain (breast pain due to milk) and Frau Metz saw the pain and discomfort I was in.  I tried to communicate to her that I wanted a breast pump to releieve some of the pressure, but instead she brought a German Midwife in to minister to me. I had no idea of what they were saying or what she was going to do; but it worked.  We moved from her place before our daughter was dismissed from the hospital, but when she was six months old, we went back to visit Frau Metz.  She was so glad to see us and to see the baby.  She had bought a cute little German outfit for her.  Over the years,I kept in touch with her and sent her letters and Christmas cards until one year we got a letter from one of her friends saying that she had passed away. 

-Barbara

1868

So far, this is the oldest letter I have. It's written in an old volume of Shakespeare that a professor at my college owns.

Dear Mama

 When I showed my blog to my mom, she rummaged around until she came across this one from my sister when she was almost 16.

Mama doesn't remember calling her lazy. She felt so bad when she saw that. :)

My Dearest Wife

 The wait is over! As promised, here is the first letter Mrs. Barbara's husband sent her after their wedding:

 

This letter is dated Oct. 29, twenty-one days after we were married. Frank was never much of a letter writer.  He could never think of anything to say in his letters. I wish that I had kept all the letters he sent me.  Unfortunately, I didn't.  He much rather preferred to call me on the telephone.  He had just called and talked to me before he wrote this letter.  Telephone calls from him usually didn't cost much at all.  I remember calls he made when he was in Viet Nam.  These calls came via radio where everytime we said something we had to end it by saying "Over".  There was always a third party present.  The radio operator.  I never liked those calls because of the radio operator.  I was shy and it embarrassed me to talk to Frank with the other person present.  One such call, the reception was bad.  We kept saying "What? Over" Frank said "I Love You" and I said "What?" and the radio operator said "I Love You". I said "I Love you Too" and the radio operator told Frank, "I Love you Too".  Later we would laugh about that, but at the time it was embarrassing to me.

-Barbara

Love, Papa

I bought him this stationery. :)

The blue paper is the outside of the stationery I bought him.

In celebration of Father's Day, this is a letter from my dad. I'm not able to spend the day with him because I'm out of town, so I miss him very much! Even though this song is not to the dad, I wanted to post it because I feel like it's our song. I loved it the first time I heard; I always feel like it's my dad saying the words to me, esp. since one day it came on the radio, & he made sure I listened. So it's even more special now that I know for sure that he agrees with what the song says. :) Yes, Papa, I know I'll always be your little girl! And I'm so glad. :)

Journaling for J.O.Y.

After reading some other articles on journaling, I was reminded of the persuasive speech I did in college. I found what I emailed to my professor & decided to share it here:


26 November 2007
She sits alone in her room with no noise but is still
distracted when she tries to pray. After starting over several times,
she finally ends the prayer quickly feeling more distant from God than
before her attempt to pray.

He grieves the loss of a loved one and wishes he could know
how they felt about certain situations. He wishes he could remember
their words of wisdom or have their perspective of times they had
shared.

Then there is you: lying in bed after a long day, yet unable to fall asleep. 
You're thinking of things you should have said,
should not have said, or hope to say the next day. You make sure there's 
nothing you forgot to do in the rush of the day & that you
know what you're doing tomorrow. You wake up to find that you wasted all that
time wondering and worrying because you forgot what you needed to
remember anyway.

All of these situations could be avoided by journaling. I'm familiar with the many 
benefits because I have
completed at least 9 journals myself in the past 5 or 6 years. But
right now I am going to focus on JOY: how journaling helps your
relationship with Jesus, Others, and even Yourself.

First of all, I've experienced all of those situations at some point.
I don't think there's anyone who can say there isn't some point that 
they've been distracted in their prayer life. Also, is there anyone who 
doesn't miss a loved one who's passed away? And, according to the 
American College Health Association,
it takes us about 25 minutes to fall asleep.
That is why writing in a journal is so important for everyone. 


You're probably thinking that you already have a busy
schedule to say the least. Being a fellow college student, I know what
you mean. However, the benefits are so great, that I try to make time
for it every day.
   
One benefit is that it helps me stay focused when I pray. It keeps me from
just say things out of habit over and over. I really think
about what I am saying. Then when I read them years later, I see how
God answered some of those prayers.

I have been fortunate enough not to have anyone in my
immediate family die. However, if they do go before me, I would
cherish any journals they had written. There are people from my church
that have died, and since I have kept a journal, there are things I
had written about them that now I can read and remember some of what
we have been through together. I have even written journals to people.
I gave one to my mom when I left for college. I did one for a friend's
birthday. And I almost finished one for my brother. All but one or two of
you told me that you think you might have children some day. The
legacy that a journal would leave for them or your grandchildren would
be priceless. You could still have a voice in their lives even when you're gone. 
Family members who were born after you died could have a chance to get to
know you and learn from your experience.

In the movie Freedom Writers (which is based on a true
story), the English teacher gets her students to write in a journal 
about their lives and involvement in gangs. They could write poetry or
draw pictures. That's another great thing about journaling--it's
very personal; you can fill it however you want so that it is not boring
or stressful to you.

In fact, writing in a journal has helped me deal with anger
and depression in a healthy way since my parents' divorce last year.
In the book Journaling: A Spiritual Journey, it says, "There's
something about actually putting words on paper that clears my mind.
As I think through what I want to say, I realize what I'm feeling. And
somehow I feel better" (Anne Broyles 10).


Now let's go back to the people I talked about in the beginning.
  
She sits on her bed with notebook and pen, writing about her
day, the things she needs help with, and what she is thankful for. She
hardly even notices the mess she needs to clean or the homework she
needs to do. All of that can wait while she spends time with Jesus.


As he goes through his loved one's things, he comes across a journal. 
He takes a moment to read it and begins to laugh as he
remembers the crazy things they had done and the jokes they had
shared. He was glad that during their life, this person had thought of
Others.


Now imagine you--lying in bed, writing all your thoughts and
activities in a journal. Then you quickly fall asleep relatively
worry-free, knowing that the best thing you can do about your
situations at the moment is get some sleep. The next morning you wake
up and review your journal to remember all you need to do. A few years
later, you read it again seeing how far you have come. You are
thankful that you wrote in a journal for Yourself.



I hope that each of you will decide to journal for J.O.Y.)
Making this happen is cheap and easy since all you need is a
pen and some paper. You could even start one on the computer. The EC
email actually has a folder for journaling.


Because you never know when your time will come, don't
hesitate to begin a journal today. (Or continue one you've already begun.)



Here are some questions I had to answer for the speech:

Q 1. Which do you recommend most--journaling on computer or on paper?


A 1. I recommend journaling on paper because it can be taken anywhere.
I especially love to write outside. If you have a laptop, that's
great, but a notebook is still lighter, cheaper, and less breakable.
Plus, I prefer looking at paper because it is more relaxing than
staring at a screen. I also like having things in my own handwriting.
Sometimes I write so fast that it's hardly legible, but that could be
a good thing if I did not want anyone to read it.


Q 2. Do you ever get scared that someone will read it?


A 2. When I first started, I was a little paranoid about that, but I
have found that people really respect my privacy. I usually have the 
journal I am currently writing in with me so I don't have to worry too
much about anyone reading it. Although I would not like for someone to
snoop around reading my old journals, it does not scare me so much
because if they ask me about something I wrote, I can just say, "Oh,
well, that was a long time ago. Things have changed." You can, of
course, buy some journals with locks on them. They even have the
invisible pens now where the writing only shows up when you shine a
certain light on it, but I like being able to see everything I have
written.



If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to try to answer them.

Dear Grandpa

I'm so glad to be able to share a little bit of my sister & her awesomeness each week. She has so much experience to share from raising her 5 children from about age 10 to age 5 (twin five-year-olds, at that). She also has a lot of wisdom because she's always searching for ways & tips & ideas to be a better wife & mother & person. I'm so blessed to be one of the avenues that she uses to pass on all she's learned. -MCS

I think it is so important to let the people in our lives know how much we appreciate them. After my grandpa died, I couldn't remember ever letting him know how much he meant to me. As I shared at his funeral how much he'd influenced my life, I thought how sad it was that I didn't share those words with him while he was still with us. A couple of years later, after my grandma passed away, I found this letter among the ones they had saved from my sister and me. It brought such a feeling of warmth and love as I realized I had thanked him and as I re-lived those memories once again.
-Kristi Kritter

Dear "Aunt" Megan

This letter is from one of my mom's many awesome friends. I always looked forward to seeing her (& still do now) even though it wasn't very often. I love her voice & her smile...just her presence in general. She is a precious, beautiful woman that I'm so very grateful for. She was always so uplifting & exciting.

Mrs. Mary wrote on that chair in the yard on card:
"Reserved for Mary"
I love it! :)

The back of the card & envelope.



The niece who made me an aunt for the first time was born a week later. :)



August 15, 2005

This journal was from my high school teacher.
 It may have been one of the prizes in cute little bags
 that she hung from the ceiling
& gave to us when we had earned enough points.
The pages of this one smell good. :) 

 So, this journal entry is kinda weird & embarrassing & boring. But many of my journal entries are quirky like that, & people have often asked me what I write in my journals. Well, here's a tidbit. :) I was trying to find something suitable in a hurry because I'll be at camp all next week & unable to work on them. I'm trying to get a few ready so that I can just post them from my phone.

Part One of entry 8/15/05 

 

Here's the rest of that journal entry.
It was at the beginning of my senior year of high school.

1 Timothy 6:16

The author of this journal entry made all the money I spent on college worth it just to gain her friendship! Though we only attended at the same time for a year and a half, our friendship has grown and lasted partly thanks to writing letters back & forth during the times we weren't together. She's much better at writing with elegance than I am, not just in letters & poetry but also in short stories. I'm certain that she will be a frequent guest on the blog, so I'll save more to say about her for later. :) She's starting off her time here with a letter to God in the form of a poem:

The title "I Timothy 6:16" is the verse talking about God which says "...who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." I wrote the poem during a time when I was dreaming about what it would actually be like to be in "unapproachable light" with God for even a microsecond. For the longest time the only sensation I could come up with being in the presence of such holiness was an explosion. But then I began to imagine the stillness of God. I was so awestruck at the idea of God being so turbulent and yet so still that I could not help but write about it. The "poem" as it is in my journal is very rough (as you can tell), so I decided to revise it for the blog. 
-Reina

This is the original (page 1)

The original (page 2)

Here's the revision made especially for this blog:

I Timothy 6:16

ϗ

You. Apart. Separated. Yes, 

You dwell with and among us in the ever moving orbit of time. But 

You are also outside. Yes, 

You dwell in heaven among the angels and 

Your light is perhaps seen more clearly there, for it is in the revelation of

Your light that some can praise 

You stronger, better, fuller. But 

You are still outside, apart. There is that little bit of some of 

You which we cannot know, because to know it would be as if we were like 

You. So

 You ever dwell with us nearby, but unapproachably far away. So I must know

You in the glimpses that I catch, never enough, but it should be that way. 

You would not be 

You if I could ever know everything there is to know, and I love 

You the better for it. What would I do? Honestly? To be caught up in 

You, apart, outside, to exist for even a moment in the 

Turbulent 

Light and 

Devastating

Stillness that makes up

You? Unfathomable the completeness of

I AM. Impossible for the imperfect yet perfect creation to comprehend the depths of the 

Creator. Woe is me, the prophet cried, and he had not even touched the surface of 

I AM. Forgive us for believing that we have any control.

Dear Barbara-Love, Frank

Well, one of my dreams from the blog has already come true. I suppose the section could more appropriately be called Letters from Soldiers, since some of them won't be in a war. But I think I like "from War" better because it's shorter but also because of Mark Shultz' song:

Just one more reason that shows what a difference a letter can make long after the writer is gone. (Mark Shultz wrote that song after reading a letter to his great grandma from one of her sons in World War II.) 

Anyway, I'm really excited about sharing this next letter for many reasons. I met Mrs. Barbara at my mom's church years ago, & I still clearly remember standing in line at Subway after service one afternoon with her & her husband, Mr. Frank, in line behind us. We were just beginning to really get to know them, so I was surprised when they said they were buying our meal. I think my mom said something about them seeming like a second set of parents for her. I instantly agreed that they seemed like another set of grandparents for me. They lived closer than my grandparents, & I never knew my mom's real mother. So it was nice to have The Goulds. Even though there were many other older couples that I'm so glad to have in my life, I'd never felt like any others were even close to being like grandparents. There is one more lady now whom I met in college (Dr. Miller), but I'm sure more will come up about her later.

As for Mrs. Barbara, I can't describe how much I love her. When she sent me this letter, I wanted to go straight to see her so I could give her a hug! I'm so honored that she's allowed me to share this on my blog. 

-MCS

This is the first letter Mrs. Barbara received from Frank.  It was in July of 1959,
before they married. He'd just joined the Army & was in training when he sent it.
I love this especially because I've been to Ft. Jackson with Singers,
& it was one of the best, most memorable days I had with Singers.
Hopefully I can find a journal entry about it to post soon.
P. S. Note that the postage was 4 cents! :)
AND no zip codes! 

The story behind the letter (as told by Mrs. Barbara):

Frank was already in the army 3 years and was discharged.  His family had moved to the community where my family lived.  My mother was the postmaster at the small 4th class post office in the community, and I worked in the post office part-time for her.  (She was the post master there for over 40 years).  Anyway, when Frank got out of the army,his dad kept telling him to go to the post office and meet that good looking girl there.  

Well, Frank was a little bit wild in those days and he had an ID he purposely messed up and brought to me (since I had a typewriter) and asked me to type his birth date on the ID.  The date he gave me made him 21 yrs old and he was actually 20 years old.  He had to be 21 in order to go into bars and drink.  Well I didn't know any better, so I changed the date for him, and then he started calling me asking me to go out with him.  He asked me 2 times and both times I made up an excuse and told him no.  The 3rd time, I decided I would tell him yes when he asked me to go out with him.  I didn't know at the time that he had decided if I turned him down the 3rd time, then he wasn't going to bother asking me out again.  (God works in mysterious ways).  

So this was in January 1959.  I graduated high school in May 1959 I had plans to go college, was accepted to college and was just waiting through the summer to start in the fall (I was going to be a school teacher).  Well Frank and I met in January, had our first date in May.  We went to the movies.  In those days there were drive-in movies where you sat in the car and watched the movies. The first movie we saw was "The Fly".  He tried kissing me on the first date, but I ate onions before we went out (purposely) and that pretty much put an end to the kissing.  

We dated the summer of 1959 which consisted pretty much of going swimming in the river that ran past my house.  In July, he knew he wanted to marry me but he couldn't find a job, so he re-enlisted in the army.  He asked me to marry him.  My mother told me I couldn't do both, go to college and get married, that I had to choose one, so I chose to get married.  

We were married October 8, 1959.  The old people in my home town always said our marriage wouldn't last because Frank was so wild and I was a "nice" girl.  That made me mad and I said well I will just show them and we both looked forward to the 50th anniversary to prove everyone wrong.  

We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversay October 8, 2009.  Twelve days later on October 20, Frank passed away. I believe that Frank hung onto life just for me until our 50th anniversary, then he let go and passed on to go home with the Lord.  We had 50 good years together and I still to this day miss him terribly.  Life just never seemed worth living without him and I look forward to the day that I join him in heaven.

P.S.  I have the first letter he wrote to me after we were married if you want it too.

(I knew none of that story until she sent the email to me! And, don't worry, I told her that I do indeed want the first letter he wrote her after their wedding. So, keep checking back to see if it's up yet. :) It might be sometime next week. -MCS)