The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-12-24
Suggestion for Mothers Letter.

Suggestion for Mothers Letter.
Sen OF Mine;
! They're sending You home to me att
last. Through all these months of
waiting and longing I've been wearing
a star for you and holding my head
high and thinking wonderful thoughts
about you. I've watched you through
ocean mists and dreamed anxious
dreams. Yes, and cried a 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 50,
mach 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 it
bravely, as | 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 l 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 4
can. let down 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 a 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
gan start for home thoughts will creep
into their minds which will be hard
to resist. There will be times after all
these months Of action when the long
ing for change and for the companion
ship Of women may lead them into as
sociations which will spoil their home
coming and cause them shame and hu-
initiation, and even perhaps make
them unfit to receive the love that
awaits them here.
You, dearest boy, are just as human
as your comrades, and feelings like
these may come to you too. l don't
ask you to crush them. They are nat,
ural, and they only prove that war has
failed to dry up the well spring oE
your emotions ] ask you only to rec
ogniZe them when they come and to
control them with the fine strength
you have gained while fighting for the
ideals and principles Of America. Just
remember that many joyous years of
life are ahead Of you and that the risk
of spelling them and the love that viii
fill them is too tremendous to run for
a short hour of seeming pleasure.
Many of the boys who viii come
home with you have no mothers to
write TO them. Some of them may
think that no one cares what they do.
But somebody does care. America
cares. And the girls they viii marry
some day care. And, oh, the difference
IL viii make in their lives # they will |
just remember that there is always
somebody, always
Help them to remember. Help them
to come home clean and fine DON'T |
let them spoil everything now They |
have been so splendid. If you think /
this letter viii help them give 1t to-
them. If they have no mothers let me
be their mother until they have come,
back and taken the high places that /
await them here Tell them to write
10 me. How l should treasure theiyf
ettersi
And, Of course, you will write to me.
lust say that you understand-that
-ou know why have written this let
er. Then / can wait months-yes,
wen years-knowing that you will
,ome home to me as fine and clean as
-ou were when sent you away to
amp 50 lOIE ago. MOTHER.