With the advent of
the Internet & email & Facebook & Twitter & Instagram, we have
lost the fine art of letter writing & sending birthday cards &
Valentines & thank-you notes & Christmas greetings that arrive in an
envelope.
Every year for more
years than I can remember, friends have sent me Christmas letters. I understand that many recipients of the
annual Christmas letter grew weary of them.
At times resentful of the glowing news people wrote about their families
& fabulous experiences during the year.
My best friend from
the second grade, Sue Ann McLauchlan Faulker, used to send a Christmas letter
every year – sometimes in July. I loved
those letters that connected us across time & space.
I get fewer letters
& cards every holiday season. I
treasure each of them.
This year, as we
have for many years, we received the annual Barkley Christmas missive letter
from my cousin Vicki Willimon Barkley & her husband Hal.
Vicki is my cousin,
one of the four Willimon girls, the daughters of Jean’s sister Janette &
her husband Ed. The Willimon girls are a
family treasure – four unique women bound by sisterhood, history & growing
up with Janette & Ed. And love.
Laura, Vicki, Suzanne
& Jenny
I still remember
when Vicki & Hal were students at Texas Tech & visited Jack & Jean’s
house on DeLeon in El Paso. They were on
their way to a skiing trip in New Mexico.
I asked Vicki about Hal & she indicated he was a keeper.
All these years later, they are still
married, have raised two sons & enriched the lives of those around them.
When I opened the
Barkley missive, I was once again struck with its thoughtful content, how each
year’s letter contemplates something deeper than tinsel or toys or traditions
associated with the holiday season.
This past year,
three of the Willimon Girls, Suzanne, Vicki & Laura, & their husbands
traveled to Europe together. This year’s
missive was about their visit to Normandy.
It is a worthy read
& I share it with you as a reminder of the meaning behind that tinsel &
toys & tradition.
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