There are several inconsequential tidbits in Dart’s letter, including his father’s reports about all the blizzards Cleveland has been seeing.

Dart told a cute story about the nurse, Miss Meany, who always brings him his mail. She hands him his letters from everyone except Dot. Then she asks, “Did you write to her last night?” If he did, she gives him Dot’s letter. If he says he didn’t, she says “She’s too good for you, Peterson,” and gives him the letter anyway.

He also reports that his beard is gone. There was a big inspection of the hospital that included a large band of “brass.” (As opposed to a brass band.) One of the officers stopped at Dart’s bedside to ask if he had grown the beard “on purpose.” (Said with a grin and a wink.) Dart’s doctor was angry and mortified. After the tour, the doctor returned and ordered Dart to get rid of it, so he had no choice. Dart tells the story better, so it’s best to read it in his own words.

He signed “All my love to the sweetest girl ever,” and then added a P.S. that his leg swelling went down again and he was ordered to sit at the edge of his bed. He then signed “More of all my love.”

I absolutely LOVE this letter from Dot! It’s her response to Dart’s recent news about his poor health, vanishing sick leave, and his advice that she invite someone else to her prom. There isn’t a trace of “Woe is me.” No hint of “Why this? Why now? Why me?”

She begins by telling him how lucky he is, if he must be sick, that he is safe and sound in the USA. No “Jap sniper” shooting at him. He has pretty nurses, skilled doctors and free medical care to save his family a significant expense.

She adds “Please don’t think for one minute that I favor the idea of not seeing you again ’til God knows when, for I promise you there is no one I would rather see. But no matter how you look at it, we’re always a little better off than some poor soul and have a great deal to be thankful for. Something tells me we should keep our faith in the Navy, ‘cuz they’ve none an awful lot of wonderful things, too.”

Who wouldn’t love a girl with that kind of positive spirit? And what fills my heart most is that I know she would say the same thing now. Except for rare periods in her life, my mother has always been not a “glass half-full” gal, but a “cup runneth over” type who carries gratitude with her into almost every situation. Keep looking on the bright side, Mom, as you did when you were just a girl.

She scolds Dart for suggesting she find another date because there is no one else worth dating. She also takes mild offense to the suggestion that she may not want to write to him any more because he’s been so sick for so long. “In my mind, that’s all the more reason why and should (and will) write. ..It’ll take a lot more than an few weeks in the hospital to get rid of me, so if you’re planning to, be prepared for a long, hard fight.”

She turns to the task of responding to his more recent letters. She feigns being intimidated by writing to the genius who has such perfect punctuation. She explains that she prefers to print because she thinks her printing looks better than her writing. “The only reason I write once in awhile is so I’ll know how to endorse my checks every week from M-G-M.”

She has enclosed some snapshots of her parents to introduce Arthur and Ruth Chamberlain to Dart, and she promises to send photos of the rest of her family soon.

She encourages him to keep trying his best to get well and to keep his chin up.