1978 Love Letter ~ Prepare to Laugh

Dad, i hope you don't mind me sharing this. i think it is a strength of yours to make people (mostly myself) laugh. AND i find it so special that you were young and in love and so wise. "30 years--look what happened."

My mom has spent tons of time and money redoing all her scrapbooks. last night we were giggling and meeting my pre-kid parents...my parents used to smile! so sad what kids do to the countenance of parents. i mean that in the nicest way possible. we seem to loose our humour and sense of adventure and spontaneity. our smiles disappear, for most of the day, and we become drained of all emotion. maybe i can't speak for everyone, but this is sure the case for my own mother. And i feel it sucking me in. after disciplining all day my mouth hasn't tasted a smile all day. that's why i need a belly-laugh-a-day. my dad has given me more than once to bust up laughing while being home. maybe it is my strength to laugh at "dad jokes". y'all know exactly what I'm talking about. and in groups I'm the only one that finds them funny enough to let out an audible laugh. on August 17, 1978, my parent's one year anniversary of meeting each other, my dad sent my mom a letter. one quote, which is now a strong part of me, reads, "Humour is oxygen for my soul." oh how true that it! before reading this i was thinking for myself how important it is to laugh. laughing for me keeps me up and recharged. and dad said it best with that quote. i think he came up with it himself. along with this letter he had a friend decorate my mom's apartment door like a present. he sent the card along with C-Rations (it's a military thing). he said, "since i cannot take you to dinner this was the next best thing." funny man! i for sure get my humor from him. thanks dad. we love to make people laugh, don't we.

i have to share what else dad wrote on this letter. Top left: "A wedding is an event, but marriage is an achievement." Top Right: "Four foundations to keep your "Garden of Eden" from becoming a "Desert": Constant Confidence, Constant Counsel, Constant Compromise, Constant Courtship." First newspaper clipping: "No matter what you hear about how often women change their minds -- have you ever heard of a groom being left at the church?" above "grin and bear it" it reads, "Marriage is the beginning not the end of courtship." Grin and Bear it reads, "And do you, Julee, promise not to compare David to your old boyfriend when he doesn't measure up to your expectations?" Quote underneath, "Humor is oxygen for my soul." 3rd clipping: "Sam, the sad cynic, says: A student at the University of Utah decided to work for his mater's degree this fall instead of getting married. now he wishes he had gotten married. the homework's more fun!" Bottom left: "Humor is that oil of human relationships." ~Love Dave


My mom and I were laughing so hard when we found a Valentine's Letter from my dad dated 2/14/1978. As a gift with this letter was a pair of underwear.

"I wish to write you something from my heart or foot. I don't know which one yet -- in the future i guess. For this exciting day I came across this little fun story, which I'm sure you'll enjoy.

'A young man wished to purchase a Valentine gift for a sweetheart and after some consideration, he decided on a pair of gloves. Accompanied by his sister, he went to a ready-to-wear shop and bought a pair of white gloves; his sister bought a pair of panties. in delivery the packages got mixed up, and he sent the panties to his sweetheart with the following note:

'Dearest Darling: This is a little gift for you to show i have not forgotten Valentine's day. i chose these because i noticed you are not in the habit of wearing them when you go out in the evening. if it had not been for my sister, i would have chosen the long ones with buttons, but she said the short ones were more in style and would be easier to remove. these are a delicate pair but the lady i bought them from showed me a pair she had been wearing for three weeks and they hardly looked soiled. i had a salesgirl try them on and she really looked smart. now i wish i could put them on you for the first time. when you take them off, be sure to blow in them before putting them away, as they will naturally become damp wearing them. be sure to keep them on while cleaning them for they will shrink. i hope you will like them and wear them Friday night.'

All my love, Dave"

What happens to relationships after 30 years? this is a rhetorical question, don't respond, of course there are many answers we all can think of. But my point is that i love scrapbooks and recording memories because it helps us to remember they way we once were; the good. and remembering the emotions of 30 years ago can sometimes bring back a small flame of excitment.