Mama's Letters

My pop, a Navy man, was often stationed out to sea for months at a time. During this time, he called home when he could, but it was infrequent and expensive, contingent on when and where his ship docked. Hence, the most consistent and frequent form of communication between my mama, my pop, and my brother and me was through the mail. I remember watching television with my brother each evening after dinner. Mom sat in her chair writing letters to Pop. On her side table sat boxes of scented, fancy note-cards and writing paper of various colors and designs. She wrote to Pop tirelessly each and every night, often pages at a time. She would fill him in on what my brother and I were doing in school, the dog's silly shenanigans, the neighbors' doings...anything she thought he might be missing out on. Sometimes, I would hear her soft sniffling and turn to see her rereading one of Pop's letters. She would read us Pop's closing sentiments--"Give my love to the kids." She was so lonely without Pop, even though she had my brother, me, and our dog; yet, she never looked outside our home for excitement. She felt more comfortable at home caring for Craig and me, ensuring our chores and homework got done, that we had a good evening meal, and that we took our nightly showers. I once asked her why she wrote so many letters to Dad, to which she replied it made her feel closer to him. Mom was adamant Craig and I write often to Pop, too. While it seemed a chore at the time we sat to write him notes, we were always so excited to receive his love in return. He would always remind us to be good and to help Mom. We would read Pop's notes aloud to her and she would smile...I wonder if those letters are being stored...

Love, 

~Mama