-- Message in a Recipe Box? --

Today I had a goal...
To clean off my kitchen table which over the last couple of weeks has become a dropping zone.  I'm not sure why...probably because we never eat at it so why not use it for something. 

However, in my totally easily distracted manor, I drifted.  I drifted far far away and almost back in time.  You see, I have 2 recipe boxes from my Aunt Anna.  When she passed, we ended up with a lot of random things in our garage at home.  That's my parents garage...our garage is another story for another day.  Anyways, I'd been through them before, but never THROUGH them. 

So, today it was the day!  They were technically part of the kitchen table mess so I tackled!  It was like going back in time.  Probably 1/3rd of the recipes included spam.  Another 1/3 included baking mix - to make EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE.  And the last 1/3 were DESSERTS!  My ultimate fave...however too many of those included dates and prunes for my liking. 

I picked through them, and sorted the ones that I liked and the ones that I need to rewrite for my own recipe box and then I came across one on a yellow folded piece of paper. 

It was a letter from my Aunt Irma... weird... in my Aunt Anna's recipe box.  The even weirder part was that it was to some other people.  I guess it's not that weird, when we lived in Fort Wayne, they lived together, but still odd. 

I love to see typed letters on old paper and the expressions that were used over 30 years ago.  Dated 1979 it was about someone who had died.  Actually two people.  Agnes and Leo.   

Here's what it says:

Dear Connie and Margaret:

     Although I haven't heard from you since Leo's death, I'm sure you are very busy and find it hard to write... but this news of Agnes death yesterday is important for you to hear about.  When Joyce called me around 2pm yesterday, she said that her mom had passed away around 10:30am.  She didn't know about Leo's death because I didn't write her, thinking that I probably didn't have a valid address.  Fortunately, she sent me a Christmas card which showed the current address.  This is the same address that was given to Anna when she contacted them by phone this pas summer (Anne was home for Tim's wedding).  In this Christmas card, Joyce said her mom's health had deteriorated very fast the past year and at Thanksgiving she was put in the Pennock Hospital (in Hastings Michigan) and since the latest development was a blood infection.  So ends another life in the family.  I'm sending a copy of this letter to Anne and to Elsie.

     Connie, it must be hard to go on living when the one you've loved is gone, and to pick up life's shattered pieces and carry on.  But there is a way in the coming months... a ray of light because we do believe there is life beyond the grave where there'll be no more tears.

     Much love to you both...

          Irma

A little downer for a Friday, but interesting nonetheless.  I think my favorite is the very last paragraph... It's so heartfelt and real.  And it's just so simple.  I just think it's sweet.  I'm guessing this was a rough draft because there are some things crossed out on it and also, it was used to write a recipe on the back! 

Happy Weekend to everyone!  I hope you enjoy it!