Endurance on the Bumpy Road

    Ah, the sad events in this journey may be just and equal to the joys, but George's death -the death of a young person, a son, a brother, a friend- I think that jolt might count as a big one. It sure was in 1966. My grandmother speaks again via another letter to Sarah. I was in college at Alabama College, now known as Montevallo, the name of the small town in Alabama where the university has stood for a century.
Letters Continued…

By Mattie Gilmer Bibb Edmondson

To Cousin S.P.M

May Day, 1967

Dear Sarah,
…How sad can life get? Everything reminds me of George and I wonder if Deane (Mamma) can ever adjust to life without him… Missie is busy with tests. She and George were like twins, utterly devoted and congenial. I hope she will not marry too soon in trying to compensate for the companionship she last lost.
…Yard maintenance is a problem in Montgomery now. One neighbor says she pays her yard man $1.40 per hour, keeps him 10 hours on some days. Wish I could run a mower.
Devotedly yours,
Mattie

And another--

May, 1967

Dear Sarah,
…Missie was here for Mother’s Day. She is brave but life can never be the same for her or any of us. We went to dinner on Mother’s Day. I think Will and Charles must have used a dollar's worth of sugar because they liked to tear open the little envelopes to put sugar in tea.
Our Charles will be nine this month. He said to Deane a few days ago, “Mamma, you ought to feel honored because God wanted a fine boy like George.” It seemed to comfort Deane more than anything that had been said to her before. We must endure our heartbreak while life lasts.

This is a beautiful, cool day but the strong breeze reminds me of the disasters in Bham and other parts of Alabama and elsewhere. I must stop rambling before the “butcher cuts me down.”
…U.S. news and World Report keeps me posted on world affairs by printing facts instead of theories. Have just been told of the rioting in Houston. More and more blood will flow.
Devotedly yours,
Mattie