what he wrote to lillflickan

When I was sorting through my box of old letters, which has been gathering dust under my bed for years, I found letters from my father.

"Hope that 'all that is different' over there in the middle of the Pacific is a positive experience for you, so that it becomes something you remember with joy all the rest of your life. We live with you and remember you in our prayers. 'Rejoice always.' Write often, we are waiting to hear from you!"

I must have known that they were there, among correspondence from half-forgotten lovers, faraway friends and childhood penpals. Yet somehow, in the three years since he died, the thought of digging them out and reading them never once struck me.

It hadn't even occurred to me now. I took out that old box just as a part of my minimalist campaign to get rid of anything unnecessary in my life. And there they were. Written communication with my parents only happened during those summers and years when I was off volunteering and having adventures in foreign countries. Emailing and internet connections were sparse back then so I wrote long letters by hand and sent them home. Every now and then my mother, not much of a writer, would put down a few paragraphs on a piece of paper or a card and then ask my father to finish the letter.

Lovely letters! My mother filled me in on news about their daily life, the dog, projects at our summer cottage, the weather, even church meetings they had attended. A newspaper clipping was occasionally enclosed. My father was entrusted to pay my bills and deal with other issues that arose in my absence and, as usual, handled all such things diligently and efficiently. During that summer when I needed to go apartment-hunting but couldn't because I was away working on a tropical island, he did it for me ( over the phone, as he lived in another city ). He sorted out administrative and bureaucratic issues for me, sent me money, forwarded my mail, took my dog to the vet. And in these letters, he explained all the details that I needed to know and assured me that everything was taken care of.

If there was nothing to report, he wrote things like this:

"Hope you are enjoying the exclusive atmosphere over there, and that you find your job also a positive and informative experience. Take good care of yourself and no surfing the waves! Hugs from mom and dad!"