COLLEGE LETTERS
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The Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections at Boston College
During my freshman year at Boston College, I received many letters from family and friends. At first, I received about a dozen or so letters each week; mostly from my high school buddies relaying their college experiences. I would dutifully write back and describe my classes, friends, and the overall experience of attending Boston College.
But over time, the letters started to dwindle in each week, and my ability to write back went from two day turnaround to two weeks. We were all getting too busy to write, and our life in high school was becoming a distant memory.
However, there was one person who wrote to me every week without fail. The letter would arrive in my mailbox on Thursday or Friday, and would follow a similar format of encouragement and news –
Dear Robert,
I hope that Boston College is going well and you are studying hard. Dad is very busy building his business. Johnny is very excited about his job at AT&T Bell Labs. Vicki is having fun (maybe too much fun) at Springfield College. Jane is looking at colleges to attend next year. We will be visiting Scranton University next week.
We are looking forward to having Pop-Pop stay with us soon. He is going to see the doctor this week about his heart. He is thinking about having surgery – remember to keep him in your prayers.
Please write and let us know how you are doing.
Love,
Mom
P.S. Check Enclosed
Upon receiving my mom’s letter, I would quickly glance at what she wrote, but it was the “check enclosed” for twenty-five dollars that really caught my attention. The weekend was almost here – parties, restaurants, football games and more were on my weekly planner. I would quickly “file” my mom’s letter, grab the check, and head down to the purser’s office get my money. The weekend was here, and I had cash in hand!
*******
Now, some twenty years later, the times at Boston College are a distant, wonderful memory; a diploma hanging on the wall. However, there is something – or should I say, someone – who continues to offer words of support and encouragement each week after all these years: my mother.
Yes, the twenty-five dollar checks are a thing of the past. However, what I have come to realize now is that it was not the “check enclosed” that really was the true gift of support in my mom’s weekly letters. It was the “love enclosed” that helped me achieve success and guided me on the twisting and turning path of college life.
Throughout our lives, people, events, and experiences come for a short or long time, and then they pass. We are not always certain why they come or what it means. They just do. My mom’s letters during my college years represent something timeless; they remind me not only of a mother’s love for her impatient and somewhat talented third-born, but of something fundamental. My mom’s letters helped me better understand the meaning of love that I try to uphold each day – consistent, unfailing, forgiving, ever-patient and ever-giving.
Thanks, Mom – with all my heart and love.
Until Next Friday,
