Letter from Mother-7

My Take

DiVoran Lites

July 20, 1983

Dear DiVoran, Bill, Renie, and Billy:

Thank you, thank you, for the nice long letter. Don’t expect me to answer it all today. It is enough that I take my pen in hand. I’m having a very lazy day. The sun is out now, and I am at loose ends. It would be a good time to go down to the beach and sit on my rock. I wonder if the tide is right.

Well, we had a nice weekend trip to Concord. We left at 6:30, caught the 8:30 ferry, and got to Sea-Tac a couple of hours before departure. They wouldn’t take money for tickets at the gate because a United Flight had canceled, and they were putting that planeload on our flight. Dad had to walk back to the ticket counter at the last minute and pay due to a mix-up. Anyway, we were the last two to board.

Susan and John met us in San Francisco. They had gone to Tracy on Friday. Then we drove the rented car and picked up Dave at the Oakland airport. We all got to the party at three. It started at two, and there were 18 of Ray’s closest friends there. He had a remarkable day of wit and charm and enjoyed the whole thing. They served a buffet lunch to all. The guests were there from 2 to 9. Some left about seven or so. I moved about from table to table and visited with all their friends. Kay and I talked about her being fourth-generation San Francisco and about how ladies used to wear hats and gloves all the time, and about our first jobs. Ann brought a lovely box of cookies that she specialized in making. Susan brought marble-sized, liqueur-filled chocolates. Now that would be the way to become a liqueur chocoholic.

We got up early on Monday. Helen took us to Walnut Creek, where we met Alice, who took us to the San Francisco airport. A half-hour delay for fog, and we were on our way. Saw the mountains-just the tops-on the way home and got home about three.

Helen and Ray put their Concord house up for sale and sold it for $59,000 in 21 days, so they are looking, with the help of Alice, for a place in Walnut Creek and will have until August 27 to move. We plan to help them put up shelves and pictures, etc., after their move in September. 

Alice, Susan’s mother, is going on a 31-day trip to Europe, England, Wales, Scotland, and maybe Holland. She’ll travel with Linda’s first mother-in-law. Grandmother of her children. They will visit that grandmother’s relatives. 

Chris and Jen will be coming home, probably tomorrow. Susan went to get them Wednesday the 20^th or Thursday the 21^st. Last I heard, Jen was having a ball, and Chis wanted to come home. She had hurt her derriere on a water slide.

Tomorrow is painting. I haven’t painted this week, but I have read some in my books about how to.  No inspiration today-hope to be talented tomorrow because we are to paint a mass of big buildings tomorrow. I particularly noticed the skyscrapers in Seattle, and they are so massive and strangely different from each other. We took the route through town up that steepest hill to Highway 5 and had to stop at each cross street. That frightens me a little, afraid of rolling back. Saw a strange young man, head down, walking ten steps forward and ten steps back at the alleyway. I think he was on drugs. The newspapers were blowing all over the street. I guess some of the derelicts failed to make their beds. 

We picked a box of beautiful apricots from our trees today, the largest I have seen. We put them in the box with the remainder of 20-pound bags of Bing cherries. At 39 cents a pound for cherries at the store, wouldn’t you like to get into our box?

Loved your long letter and will try to answer sometime soon. As for now, if you’re to get this hot off the press, I’d better make tracks to the mailbox; it’s time for the mailman.

Dad says my salutation is too long. He suggested Dear People.

Love to everybody.

Mother and Dad

Dad absorbed every bit of your letter. I’ve read it twice so far, no rejection from us.

I heard a song on the Christian station. It had words in it like; “I will surrender,” “need you,” “Lord above,’ it had the same music as “Now is the Hour.” That one came out around WWII. 

I forgot to comment on your hair being in a bun. Be careful that it doesn’t make you feel old. I remember you as a carrot top when we went to Westcliffe. I’ve seen the bun style some since you mentioned it.

Please forgive my small writing on the other page. I thought it would take care of all I had to say, but it didn’t.

Love, Mother

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: A mother's letters, A Mother's Love, Family Memories