Thursday Night

Dearest Hal,

Tonight is a very bad night for me to write you a letter because I feel low in my mind. Some how the thoughts of this Christmas are unbearable. I’d give anything if only I didn’t have to go through with that. But I know there will be many sad homes this Christmas some of them may never be happy again. I pray we may have many happy ones together when the war is over.

I miss you terribly, darling. Some day I hope that you and I may have a chance at the happiness we are missing. No one else in all the world understands me as you do and no one else can comfort me when I’m blue. When your letters are sweet they give me a lift for days but when they are not I wonder how I can possibly stand it. Don’t misunderstand. I know that sometimes it is necessary to write things that aren’t too pleasant but I hope it won’t be necessary very often.

Today the auxiliary served lunch at the Satterwhite’s sale. Tom Satterwhite has joined the navy as a flier so he is selling all his stock and machinery and renting his farm. You have probably hunted ducks on his land, as it is about two miles down the river below our place.

We had right much fun but it was cold and I got pretty tired. He made $45.00 so I guess it was easily worth the trouble we took. I enjoy anything that makes the days pass faster.

Hal, would the fact that you send “Nana” $25.00 per month keep Billy from claiming her as a dependent? Sara thought it might be a good idea for Billy to name “Nana” as a dependent in case anything should happen to him. How I hate to have to think about such things. I suppose we must get them settled however. You might write Sara about this. I don’t have Billy’s address; he did not know himself what it would be when he left Staunton.

Nighttime is a gloomy time anyway. It’s very late now and everyone else is sound asleep but I dread putting out the light. I can’t sleep on nights like this and when I do I have dreams that are too unpleasant to think about. I would give everything I ever hope to have just to fall asleep in your arms once more. We were richer than we knew. We didn’t appreciate it half enough so we had to have a war to show us how much our life together really meant to us.

Be careful; remember everything I love is there. Take care of yourself and do try to make this war end soon.

All my love,

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