Dear Grandma Mertie and Grandpa Willie

I am your great grand daughter!  I know you know who I am because you are both in heaven now and can see everything, in fact I was with you in heaven before I was born to your Grandson Dickie and his lovely wife Myrtle.  I know you were very pleased your grandson married a lady with the same name as you!

Your daughter Mildred gave me all of her letters and pictures when I went to Chicago many years ago and when I was looking for something this weekend I ran across the last letter you wrote to your daughter.  I read it and this very wonderfully warm and familiar feeling came over me.  You see some 25 years ago I was very actively researching my genealogy, my family tree and I felt so connected to every family member I "found". 

Grandma Mertie, your family intrigued me so much, probably because they moved to Missouri in 1826 and I love Missouri.  For a young lady who never felt like she belonged anywhere, she felt instantly safe and at home in Missouri.  Even though I live on the Western part of the state and you were born and raised on the Eastern side of the state, I felt that bond strongly.  I wish so that I could talk with you and your parents and grandparents about all the Stovall, Standiford and Board families.  About the slaves your Grandpa Jefferson Board owned and why he came to Missouri from Virginia.  I want to know how he is related to Thomas Jefferson, I think through marriage but I am not sure.  I have so many questions and that isn't why I am writing this but I am curious and genuinely interested in the smallest details about you and Grandpa Willie's life. 

I think I am very much like your daughter Mildred.  I like to cook and sew and do needlework.  I recently was given and old iron and I think it may have been yours!  My youngest brother, he looks most like your dear grandson Dickie and I think Dickie looks like Mildred. 

Life now is so different then when you were alive.  I work outside the home and you wouldn't even recognize the lives we lead today.  You talked in your letter about "Bachelor's Children".  I did a little research and found it was a radio soap opera and it was on for 15 minutes each day.  I wish I could hear one episode of your program but alas, I don't think there is one around anymore.  Soap operas are on television which is like a movie box that every home has now a days.  They are also in color, not black and white. 

Yesterday was my day off from work and I wanted to stay home and bake but instead I was running all day long, or so it seemed.  I took my husband up to his church to join in a flag football game.  Grandma and Grandpa, I call him "Professor", which isn't his real name but I would have loved to have watched him play American football.  The Professor is from Guyana, a Caribbean country located on the Northeast shore of South America.  He loves tennis and track and field, not American football, so you understand why I might have been amused by his attempts.

When my dear husband was done he called me and I went to pick him up.  I am teaching him how do drive a manual transmission, all cars today are automatics, you don't have to shift the gears.  Well he drove from church to Mom's down the back roads.  He did quite well.  Then we drove over to Brother 1's house so my husband to assist in carrying up a new stove into the house.  I went back over to Mom's and sat and was entertained by my great great niece....

Princess Wiggle Wiggle! She is 2½ years old, she is not blood related but she is related because her Great Grandmother married my youngest brother. I am sorry to tell you but none of Dickie's children had children so the line stops here. But we love the Princess dearly.

She is full of energy and curiosity and love! Here is Dickie's wife, with the Princess. Love is grand isn't it.

Well Grandma Mertie and Grandpa Willie, this wasn't exactly how I thought this letter would go but isn't that the way of letters?  I will have to tell you about the wonders of a lap top computer when I write again.  Until then I pray that you will watch over my family and friends and I, we sure do need a lot of help these days.  I wish I had known both of you, I think I am a great deal like you.  All my love, Sandi Jo

PS:  The first picture of the pumpkins I took with a digital camera!  Can you imagine color photographs without having to buy film?  Yup, it is wonderful, isn't it!