April 21, 2017 – Back to tidying ways  . . . Mom’s letters

        The last of the tidying ways inspired by Marie Kondo’s tiding book, is papers. [Previously discussed in January 16, 2017, blog]. I tend to organizing Mom's Letters when time permits.

        We have had much needed, deep soaking rains here in North Carolina.  When I can’t go out to garden and play in the dirt I have boxes of my Mom’s letters lined up to review for a future “Letters between Mother and Daughter book”.

        Reading my Mom’s letters from years past is like her visiting me in person.  The content is actually rather timeless.  She writes like she talks – animated.  Between the lines you can hear the “lilt” in her voice or imagine her slow, mischievous smile when she is poking fun. 

        One of my first blogs, September 6, 2016 – was my first place essay – “A Letter from Mom”.  The last line is:

        “. . . I could move anywhere on earth and never be away from home as long as there was a letter from Mom.”

        My Mom is now 92 years old and it has been over two years, two very long years, since I have had a handwritten letter from my Mom. She is now frail and doesn’t write letters anymore due to her arthritis and extremely poor eyesight.   So, I cherish the collection of Mom’s letters I’ve kept all these years. They are so delightful and full of sage humor that will never go out of fashion.

        The letters are stuffed in boxes and not in any sort of order. My first run through is to sort them from the greeting cards and clippings of recipes, craft or fashion ideas.

 A cup of hot tea and a box full of letters kept me fine company yesterday afternoon as the wonderful spring rain poured down. I honestly miss her weekly letters, so perusing the collection of her old letters was so uplifting after the absence of letters from her these last few years.

        In one letter Mom mentions that Dad has been diagnosed with Diabetes and she ordered a Diabetic cookbook.  Mom felt she needed to update her recipes in order to assist Dad’s health.  After reading the new cookbook from cover to cover Mom summed it up as follows:

         “When you take the salt, sugar, and fat out of a recipe all you’ve got left is parsley.”

        I smile and think, maybe that is why I buy more and more new parsley transplants each spring.