Dear Hope and Household: It has been quite some time since I've written to you, but I'm telling you that at times a self-condemnation of mind and spirit has come over me, as the Household has been of keen interest. I'm happy to tell you that through it good friends and most interesting pen pals have come to me. Those were most thrilling and interesting travel letters which were written by your son Wilbert. How very, very much we've appreciated and enjoyed them! When Wilbert's letter, written when he flew from Florida to northern Africa, was printed, we considered it very choice. His descriptions were so vivid, in fact, I seemed to be going along with him.
I could hardly wait till the fourth and final letter about the Holy Land was printed, so I could send them all to a dear old lady in our little town of Claypool, Ind., who did visit the Holy Land 15 or 20 years ago. She had for years been a teacher in our town school and also the wife of our town's beloved doctor. She will return the clippings and they will then find a prominent place on the pages of my travel scrap book. I wish I had a copy of the letter describing Wilbert's trip from Florida to Egypt, but I clipped my copy and sent it to my brother and family, who had a son who was a pilot doing duty overseas. On V-E day, May 8, his 21st birthday, a plane crash meant death for him and the entire crew. As yet none of us know any of the details, only they were buried in Holland and the chaplain will tell us more as opportunity allows.
How we thank you, Hope, for your interest and concern for so many of us who are handicapped physically and shut in so much of the time. If your column meant nothing to others, it would be very valuable for us alone. I'd like to tell you by name all those who have been kind and thoughful of me through the months and years since I've been one of the Household's number. How I'd like to greet personally many of the friends of our group. I hope that you and each of your dear ones may be in health and that your sons may soon be at home, ready to throw their energies with might and main into reconstructing this war-torn world. May God bless and keep us all! -- Mrs. Arthur Reece, Claypool, Ind.