"My darling I cannot relate to you the things I've seen and the sounds I've heard this very day. We are all afraid of what is to come."
I have a copy of the letter my Great Great Grandfather wrote to his young wife who was pregnant with their first and only child; my Mother's Grandmother; from the days and skirmish lines prior to the first week in July, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pa.
It was to be his last correspondence to her. He was paid by a rich Charlotte man to take his place in the North Carolina Infantry Regiment assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia Under General Robert E. Lee. 6000 men, 40% of the total dead from that battle, came from N.C.
Wow. That is amazing to have so much information on your ancestors. Most people do not have that gift.
Growing up I had heard the olders speak vaguely about him being in the war. No one knew of a letter. About 10 years ago the letter was found in an estate discovery and I have to admit it is a heart wrenching letter to read. It's a single page and in it he (I was told he was 23 yo) is mostly loving and missing his young wife through the horrific things he has witnessed. I can only imagine the extreme deprivation.
"My darling I cannot relate to you the things I've seen and the sounds I've heard this very day. We are all afraid of what is to come."
I have a copy of the letter my Great Great Grandfather wrote to his young wife who was pregnant with their first and only child; my Mother's Grandmother; from the days and skirmish lines prior to the first week in July, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pa.
It was to be his last correspondence to her. He was paid by a rich Charlotte man to take his place in the North Carolina Infantry Regiment assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia Under General Robert E. Lee. 6000 men, 40% of the total dead from that battle, came from N.C.
Wow. That is amazing to have so much information on your ancestors. Most people do not have that gift.
Location: 543 miles west of Paradis,1491 miles eas Gender:
Posted:
Mar 23, 2020 - 6:03pm
oldviolin wrote:
"My darling I cannot relate to you the things I've seen and the sounds I've heard this very day. We are all afraid of what is to come."
I have a copy of the letter my Great Great Grandfather wrote to his young wife who was pregnant with their first and only child; my Mother's Grandmother; from the days and skirmish lines prior to the first week in July, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pa.
It was to be his last correspondence to her. He was paid by a rich Charlotte man to take his place in the North Carolina Infantry Regiment assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia Under General Robert E. Lee. 6000 men, 40% of the total dead from that battle, came from N.C.
"My darling I cannot relate to you the things I've seen and the sounds I've heard this very day. We are all afraid of what is to come."
I have a copy of the letter my Great Great Grandfather wrote to his young wife who was pregnant with their first and only child; my Mother's Grandmother; from the days and skirmish lines prior to the first week in July, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pa.
It was to be his last correspondence to her. He was paid by a rich Charlotte man to take his place in the North Carolina Infantry Regiment assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia Under General Robert E. Lee. 6000 men, 40% of the total dead from that battle, came from N.C.
As I get older I realize that most sophistication is manifested through simplicity.
Elegance is inferior to virtue...
Mary Wollenscroft Shelly
quite the puzzle though on the surface it seems not. We tend to conflate sophistication with complexity because the material world demands so much attention but our most elemental stasis is peace of mind and selfless forbearance in the face of panic and uncertainty. Of such is the courage to commit to love minus zero and eschew the pretension of a corrupted world; a sickening play for the very soul of mankind..
As I get older I realize that most sophistication is manifested through simplicity.
Elegance is inferior to virtue...
Mary Wollenscroft Shelly
quite the puzzle though on the surface it seems not. We tend to conflate sophistication with complexity because the material world demands so much attention but our most elemental stasis is peace of mind and selfless forbearance in the face of panic and uncertainty. Of such is the courage to commit to love minus zero and eschew the pretension of a corrupted world; a sickening play for the very soul of mankind..
As I get older I realize that most sophistication is manifested through simplicity.
Elegance is inferior to virtue...
Mary Wollenscroft Shelly
quite the puzzle though on the surface it seems not. We tend to conflate sophistication with complexity because the material world demands so much attention but our most elemental stasis is peace of mind and selfless forbearance in the face of panic and uncertainty. Of such is the courage to commit to love minus zero and eschew the pretension of a corrupted world; a sickening play for the very soul of mankind..
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations I have really good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
Don't know anything about that Hubbard fella, but Iâve been thinking a lot about gratitude, or giving thanks lately. Specifically how it benefits oneâs attitude, and overall healthâ¦lowers cortisol levelsâ¦
Many mock the religious who give praise, thanks, gratitude to a higher being as blind sheep. This is wrong thinking.
Being thankful, including to a higher power, is not about being subservient, but empowered (see above). A good God doesnât seek or need gratitude, but to empower the individual towards a healthier, fulfilled life.
Gratitude isn't necessarily supplication to a spiritual source, so much as its sheer joy at loving what you already have. Many who survived the Great Depression said "When we were kids, we didn't know we were 'poor.' Everyone else was poor too - so we just thought that was the way things were. We made fun wherever we could find it, most of it in our imaginations."
"To understand the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibration." â Tesla
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations I have really good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
Don't know anything about that Hubbard fella, but Iâve been thinking a lot about gratitude, or giving thanks lately. Specifically how it benefits oneâs attitude, and overall healthâ¦lowers cortisol levelsâ¦
Many mock the religious who give praise, thanks, gratitude to a higher being as blind sheep. This is wrong thinking.
Being thankful, including to a higher power, is not about being subservient, but empowered (see above). A good God doesnât seek or need gratitude, but to empower the individual towards a healthier, fulfilled life.
Very challenging for me to apply this to Mary Oliver, among many others. I'd say Kierkegaard was projecting (fun guy that he was) in this abridged quote.
Indeed. I was struck by his ability to pinpoint the source of his meloncholia; at least that day...
