AN OLD LOVE LETTER BRINGS BACK MEMORIES
June 2, 2014
By Olivene Godfrey
The love letter was written in 1947 by my late husband, Ralph, when we were newly weds.
Tam has been looking for an old letter among letters I had saved over the years. That letter was a personal letter I had received many years ago from Barbara Walters. We still haven't located that letter. But, Tam found so many special letters I've received over the years, including the only letter Ralph ever wrote to me. As I read it, I wept and was engulfed by old, sweet memories. Ralph and I were married 55 years. We had our ups and downs, but we had more "ups" than "downs."
I saved our hotel bill from the old Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta where we spent our honeymoon. Our total bill in May, 1947 was only $16.50 for three nights. I remember we went to a movie in the grand Fox Theater. World War II had only ended a couple of years before we wed. Ralph served in the U S Army Signal Corps in the Pacific for 15 months, and we didn't have much money in our early married years.
Tam found two old Western Union Telegrams also. One was delivered by a boy on a bicycle as Ralph and I left the church following our wedding ceremony. It was from a friend who wasn't able to attend the wedding.
The other one was a birthday greeting from my parents on my 32nd birthday when Ralph and I lived on Treasure Island, Florida. My birthday is December 10th and Barry was born December 14, 1959. Unknown to me, my daddy had contacted a bunch of my first cousins, and they all sent birthday cards to me that year.
Ralph passed away in August, 2002 from Parkinson. He had mild Dementia also but had periods when he was lucid. I was his caregiver for a number of years which took a toll on me. Barry adored his dad and helped me a lot with him. We both still miss him.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
By Olivene Godfrey
The love letter was written in 1947 by my late husband, Ralph, when we were newly weds.
Tam has been looking for an old letter among letters I had saved over the years. That letter was a personal letter I had received many years ago from Barbara Walters. We still haven't located that letter. But, Tam found so many special letters I've received over the years, including the only letter Ralph ever wrote to me. As I read it, I wept and was engulfed by old, sweet memories. Ralph and I were married 55 years. We had our ups and downs, but we had more "ups" than "downs."
I saved our hotel bill from the old Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta where we spent our honeymoon. Our total bill in May, 1947 was only $16.50 for three nights. I remember we went to a movie in the grand Fox Theater. World War II had only ended a couple of years before we wed. Ralph served in the U S Army Signal Corps in the Pacific for 15 months, and we didn't have much money in our early married years.
Tam found two old Western Union Telegrams also. One was delivered by a boy on a bicycle as Ralph and I left the church following our wedding ceremony. It was from a friend who wasn't able to attend the wedding.
The other one was a birthday greeting from my parents on my 32nd birthday when Ralph and I lived on Treasure Island, Florida. My birthday is December 10th and Barry was born December 14, 1959. Unknown to me, my daddy had contacted a bunch of my first cousins, and they all sent birthday cards to me that year.
Ralph passed away in August, 2002 from Parkinson. He had mild Dementia also but had periods when he was lucid. I was his caregiver for a number of years which took a toll on me. Barry adored his dad and helped me a lot with him. We both still miss him.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
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