Letters Home: Section 1, Letter dated July 29, 1999

July 29, 1999

Katrina,

It is a beautiful morning, blue skies above green fields, flowers stretching up to say hello to the angel sitting in the attic and then waving in the breeze to say hello to the other angels. It’s still cool outside, the night air not yet having evaporated into the sunlight, and a nice breeze is blowing through the window.

I had the most wonderful sleep last night, childhood memories returning disguised as dreams. Visions of croquet in the front of the house when company was present, visions of us running through fields of wild flowers, and a vision of mother lifting her eyes from a book and smiling at me in a way that seemed so real that I felt as though I had been transported back in time and allowed to see her again. I dreamed of the expression on your face when your oldest was born, though I was not there; and Father’s intelligent appearance; and, yes, I remembered George, the way his hair looked in the sun, his smile, the light in his eyes as he proudly boarded the train going to basic training. Sigh. Well-rested I am this morning.

It reminds me of the fragility of life. People should respect every moment we’re given. None of us ever knows how long we have to live. With each sunset, we close our eyes expecting to greet the new sunrise with our usual routine. People shouldn’t spend their lives waiting on opportunities or avoiding the direction our instincts tell us to follow.

If someone were to learn today that they had only one day left to live, would they be full of regret over lost possibilities and dreams never followed? Or would they find within their heart peace? No one knows how long we are to live, so we should cherish those little moments that mean so much, the smiles, the laughter, the love.

Dreams are paths to follow and the journey toward those dreams are tests, challenges of our heart, our perseverance, and our passion for life. When a dream takes hold of someone’s attention, when a soul feels a bit lighter because the dream has entered the mind, we can’t be afraid to fly. Intelligence can empower the imagination and guide someone down the avenue toward the dream; and the reward is avoiding the obstacle of regret.

Sisters forever,
Christina

This work is fictional. Any resemblance to actual situations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and unintentional.