Many years ago in a faraway land,
a soldier reads letters from an old mother's hand.
He felt her presence there though oceans apart.
Every word came from a love filled heart.
Keep God in your heart and read your Bible son,
soon all trials of war you will have won.
And when you're down and out and need a friend,
just remember he'll stay with you until the end.
Daddy says hello and he loves you too.
He's so proud of you in everything you do.
He walks to the mailbox everyday,
looking for a letter to come our way.
Son, just keep writing to us and do your best.
I sure do pray you're getting plenty of rest.
The family says hello and they'll all try to write.
Daddy still goes outside to work each morning before daylight.
He pushes the wheelbarrow up and down the hill.
Maybe when you get home he'll finally be still.
I almost forgot to tell you Jane's got a new boyfriend.
I wonder how long she'll go with this one before it comes to an end.
I wish you could see them, my roses are in bloom.
I'll try and get a picture and send one soon.
Emma's got a new cow. She gave us three gallons of milk.
Son I wonder, do you get any milk?
Since he got married, Bill thinks you're mad at him.
She's a nice girl, you need to hurry and write them.
Remember that I love you and don't ever forget.
I'll always be praying for you, don't you give up yet.
With words like that, how could he not survive.
With every letter it made him feel more alive.
No matter how hot or how long the days,
they gave him hope in so many ways.
Those words of encouragement kept pushing him along,
and helped him to forget that awful war, torn zone.
When he finally came home from the Vietnam war,
only then did he see his mother's tears begin to pour.
A mother's love can reach across every sea
and come to rest where it needs to be.
Susie Swanson, 2012
I wrote and published this one in 2010 for my husband in Memory of his precious Mother. These are some of her own words in the letters that he brought back home in 1969. He had a whole stack of letters and after she passed away in 1991 we found a stack of letters that he wrote to her and his dad.. I hope you enjoyed it. Blessings, Susie
Nice post, Susie. A mother's love is beyond compare. And as far as letters go, I have all the ones my husband (then boyfriend) wrote to me when he was in the Navy and he has a few of mine. But. they were not quite as lyrical as the one above :o)
ReplyDeleteThank you Janet, I have mine to from my husband. They are treasures for sure.
DeleteA beautiful post Susie. Yes, there is nothing like a mother's love, or being a mother.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth, so true.
DeleteWhat a wonderful tribute to both mother and son! I used to sneak around and try to read the letters my sister received from her boyfriend who was in the Marines. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte..
DeleteI did enjoy it Susie, though it made me cry. A mother's love does reach across the miles, if we only let it.
ReplyDeleteIt sure does. Thank you so much.
DeleteSusie, You have a way to touch hearts and make us cry. I loved this poem. xo, Susie
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.
DeleteA very touching poem, Susie! Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you Daisy.
DeleteHi Susie! I'm so sorry that I have disappeared for a couple of weeks. It has been such a busy time here with my mother-in-laws move and our friends visiting from California. Now Tony is sick and in bed with that flu bug that has been going around. I haven't had much time to even open my computer. I sure hope that you and your family are feeling better and getting over the flu as well. I loved your post today, it is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of my own mother and brother and their relationship when he was in the army. I have a large stack of old letters that were written by and to my dad during WW2 and my brother during the Vietnam time period. I think the most surprising part was reading my Dad's letters, the scared, homesick 17 year old boy I never knew, came right off the page and it made me view my Dad in a different way. There is also a letter from my Grandpa to my brother full of love and manly wisdom, that is made even more precious because he had such a hard time writing English. I can see him carefully spelling out the words, writing and rewriting trying to get the phrases and spelling just right. His voice just jumps off the page in his writing, as if he were right in the room and time had never passed.
I was so glad to hear that you were not effected by the Hurricane. It sure must have been cold though. All our family were fine, they had some damage but nothing that could not be repaired. We are getting a little concerned now with this new storm. If it is going to continue to be a really difficult winter they may send Grandma down here to us. She is 95 and lives in her own apartment and is still very independent. Like many people that age, her life is regulated by routine, and when that routine is disturbed it is easy for her to get confused, forget that she doesn't have her medicine or food in the frig. We are also worried with all the power outages, we may lose contact with her. She is in New Jersey, just across the river from New York.
Well my friend, that's all the latest, I will close for now and I hope you have a wonderful day ahead. With Love, Delisa :)
So glad to hear from you.. It has been hectic here too but I have missed you but truly understand.. I hope your granma can come down to your house.. I'm so worried about all the people affected by the storm and the next one coming in. They sure don't need anymore.. Thanks for your sweet words. I will check in as soon as possible.
DeleteThis brought tears to my eyes, Susie... especially after hearing the story behind it. Such a beautiful poem.
ReplyDelete