Licking Valley courier., 1918-12-19
Suggestion for Mothers Letter.

ouggestion TOT motneTb Letter.
Son of Mine:
They're sending you home to me
last. Through all these months Of
waiting and longing I've been wearing
a star for you and holding my head
high and thiNklng wonderful thoughts
about you. I've watched you through
ocean mlsts and dreamed anxious
dreams. Yes, and cried little, too,
but not when people could see.
And now you're coming home. Oh,
1t seems too good to be true. I've just
read your letters again. They say so
much more than you ever thought
when you were writing them. Just
happenings-that's all most of the
things you wrote about were to you.
But to me they said you were facing
the biggest thing In life, facing 1t
bravely, as l should want my son to
face 1t. You were offering your body
and your soul for thing bigger than
you or me or America.
When 1 wrote to you l tried to
write cheerful, encouraging letters,
because did not want you to go Into
battle feeling that l was holding you
back from the big sacrifice. It's only
now, when the fighting is over, that /
can let down a little and be just your
mother, just the woman who loves
you better than anything else In the
world and Is so glad to know you're
coming back. to her that she doesn't
care who sees her cry.
Perhaps for some OF the boys who
have stood with you so finely through
these trials the fighting is not yet all
over. The fighting l mean Is that be.
tween man and himself, and for
many Of them this will be the hardest
battle of all. During the long days
and evenings of waiting before they
can start for home thoughts will Greer
into their minds which will be har,
to resist. There will be times after al
these months of action when the long
ing for change and for the companion
sociations which will spoil their home
coming and cause them shame and hu
initiation, and even perhaps max,
them unfit to receive the love tina
awaits them here.
You, dearest boy, are just as human
as your comrades, and feelings lik,
these may come to you too. l don
ask you to crush them. They are nat
ural, and they only prove that war ha
failed to dry up the well spring o
your emotions. ask you only to rec
ognlze them when they come and &
control them with the fine strengtl
you have gained while fighting for tn
ideals and principles Of America. Jus
remember that many joyous years o
life are ahead of you and that the rls
Of spelling them and the love that wi
: fill them Is too tremendous to run 10
l Il short hour of seeming pleasure. /
Many Of the boys who will com
E home with you have no mothers I
4 write to them. Some OF them mn
D think that no one cares what they d,
D But somebody does care. AmeriC
cares, And the girls they will MARI
e some day care. And oh, the dlfferenC
1t viii make In their lives II they wi
just remember that there is alway
somebody, always
Help them to remember Help theI
r to come home clean and fine Don
Z let them spoil everything now. The
l. have been so splendid. II you thin
e this letter will help them give It
l. them, II they have no mothers let n
be their mother until they have con
= back and taken the high places tn,
K await them here Tell them to wrlt
4 to me. How | should treasure III,
I, lettersi
l. And, Of course, yod viii write to IN
e Just say that you understandable
l. you know why have written this le
l. ter. Then | can walt months-ye
;. even yeurs-knowlng that you wi
(. coipe home to me ~ fine and clean |
o you were when sent you away
camhEo long ago. MOTHER.