How many times in one’s lifetime must one spend time sorting through a collection of material that summed one’s recently deceased loved one?

Je ne sais pas.  Je souhaite que je connaissais.

To know.  To be.  To have been.  To do.

Enough musing.  While packing up my mother in-law’s things at her apartment in the assisted living community, we once again found her childhood diary.  Also a folded note on typewriter paper (almost as good as new), retyped below, including spelling/grammar mistakes:

Moss Point, Mississippi
February 16, 1942

Dear Jane:

I suppose you think I am pretty awful for not writing any sooner and thanking you for the pictures but it seems as if I never get around to all the things I want to do.  I surely would have loved to have seen that wedding, it must have been awfully pretty.  I had a letter from Bruce and Clara the other day and they really seem supremely happy.  Bruce said that she has to rum him off to work every morning and then he works like the devil to get back in the afternoon, and as a result the company thinks that he is getting efficient and are going to give him a raise.  He has been defered until July and then he doesn’t know what is going to happyen but, they don’t seem to be very much worried about the matter.

We (Y.M.B.C.) gave our annual Carnavil Ball Friday night.  It was really one of the best and prettiest that we have ever had, although, it was by far too crowded to dance.  Friday a week ago, the Cotillion Club had theirs. I was a Duke in that one and you should have seen me.  I have gained about thirty pounds and the Tux I had at school fit me just like I had been poured in it.  It fact it was sorta painful to sit down so I had to dance most of the time.  The whole affiar was rather funny.  Since we had rented a local night club for the affiar it was impossible to practice.  The king and Queen gave a cocktail party before-hand and by the time some of the court got out there they were pretty well lit, with the result that some walked in fast, some slow and some just sorta flowed in.  The High School is having theirs tonight.  I think I will go over as a spectator because they will have such a pretty floor show.

We went to Mobile yesterday afternoon to see a Nazi bomber that had been shot down over London last year.  It was really pretty interesting because a man told the history of it.

Had a letter from Bob the other day and he is back at Pennington teaching.  Since teachers are so hard to get they have asked for his deferment until school is out.  I know he didn’t mean it like it sounded, but he was telling all about Klenor and her family.  Said that they own a large dyeing place there and that she had loads of possibilities.  Anyway I hope that he didn’t mean it to be as mercenary as it sounded.  He said that when they went to Brumuda on their honeymoon they would stop by/ Frankly I don’t think the boy knows exactly where Mississippi is.

How is school?  I know you must be back in the old grind by now.  I m ce am sending this letter to Rogersville because I am not sure just what your address is.

Well I had better stop before I get fired.  Please excuse the typing I type so seldon it is pretty awful.

love,

“Missip”