I'm continuing my series of scanning, transcribing, and annotating my grandfather's love letters to my grandmother leading up to their marriage in June 1940. The letters are chronologically organized and preserved, using the methods I discuss in detail in my book, Creating Family Archives: A Step-by-Step Guide for Saving Your Memories for Future Generations.
In the 25th letter of the Grandpa's Love Letter series, life's little annoyances get in the way. It's funny how looking back at this letter so many years later, the problems seem so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. It allows me to put the minor inconveniences of my own life in perspective. Problems at work, headaches from glasses, moving, finding new apartments, and a landlady who no longer wants to do your laundry: it doesn't sound like fun for Grandpa. He probably has a number of sins to confess on Saturday too!
(Sidenote for Catholics: Wasn't Saturday night mass so much more fun and seemed to go by quicker than Sunday morning mass? The priest probably had plans afterward, as did the parishioners, so it seemed like the mass was a quick, informal 45 minutes. Sit, stand, kneel; a little acoustic guitar; communion; and buh-bye! It felt freeing to have church crossed off your weekend to do list and have Sunday free all day!)
A big "oof!" to the Chinaman comment. As always, I'm trying not using presentism (the uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values) but goodness gracious. As white people, we've come a long way from latent (and not so latent) racism, but we still have so much further to go. In the future, I'd like to write a post about white privilege and racism in family archives, but I still need time to process my thoughts about the matter.
On a different note, here's a delightful picture of my grandmother and step-brother from the early 1940s. Don't they look cute?
Grandma wrote on the back: "Joe Zabit and Ann Note."
***
4/25/40
Scr. Pa.
Dear Ann.
I do not expect to come home this weekend and as far as next week-end is concerned I cannot predict yet whether or not I will come home. If I do stay here this week-end I have no intentions of going in to work on Saturday.
On Monday morning we made good time until we reached the Pocono Mountains where we had some trouble going over the ice covered roads. The detour was worse than it ever was. It was 920 before we got to the shop. I did not have any headache when we got here, because, I did not wear my glasses.
We went to the movies last night and saw "Young Tom Edison." All of us though [sic] it was a good picture.
Although we may stay here this week-end we have not made any definite plans as to what to do with our time. If the opportunity presents itself I will go to confession on Saturday. There is a possible chance that we may try to get some information as to the rents asked for furnished and unfurnished rooms.
I hope you do not have any more than the usual amount of trouble connected with moving. When I come home, I'll have to watch my step or I will be ringing the wrong doorbell.
As far as things are going in work, I'd rather not say anything now being in the terrible mood I'm in. I will follow your suggestion most carefully.
As I told you we were having our laundry done by the boarding mistress, but now that she had complained that she isn't getting as much money out of it as she expected too [sic] I am going to give it all to the Chinaman.
With my best regards to all and all my love to you I remain as ever
"Your Newt"
Ray
***
Ready to get started creating your family archives? Here are some of my favorite products:
