Thinking about our life

The summer is ending and I am back at work and living with a schedule. This might help me to do some regular writing. The letter of Dad's that I posted from Oct. 1944 is about thinking about life. I like his statement: "I wonder if in a way we don’t sort of make up our minds as to what we are supposed to do and then spend our life proving that we are right or wrong."

   I do not think that I figured out I was supposed to spend my life doing. I am now thinking about what to do now that I am in semi-retirement. I am now following the blogs of a few friends and am interested in what makes an easy to read and interesting blog.

  We have had a month of rain and rain and rain. So much that us desert creatures are actually getting a bit tired of clouds and rain. The weather is cooler and we are using our bicycles and scooter more and attempting to use the car less.

My dance with the IRS has gotten a bit of attention and can be read about on another blog: http://www.forbes.com/search/?q=Irs+eases+up+on+war+tax+resisters

October 13 1944

10/13/44

Dear folks,

            Another week is gone. Sometimes I am impressed with the way time gets by. I’m afraid that this letter isn’t going to amount to much. We havn’t had any more fires or much of any excitement. I find lots of things to do to keep my interested in life. I think that I mentioned the group that was discussing the use of time. Well, we are still discussing. It seems very interesting to me and I think that I am learning a lot about myself and human nature too.

            It soaked through me the other day that even though I thought that I had been thinking I was just scratching the surface. I began to realize how many thinks I did that I wasn’t sure why I did them. I seemed to feel that they were right but I didn’t know why. Now, I wonder how sure we can be that these things are right. I think that the biggest thing to think through is the direction in which our life is going. What do we want to do with this world we have and this mind we have to work with? I think that once we have a workable idea of what we are doing on this earth and what we can do with the immediate situation. I wonder if in a way we don’t sort of make up our minds as to what we are supposed to do and then spend our life proving that we are right or wrong. It seems to me that we could plan something more efficient than that.

            Thanks lots for the dough. Thanks to Mom for the Cookies. I have had them for several days and they certainly are good. Those top ones really stood that trip well. They are the best for shipping. However the rest tasted equally as good. The boys all like them.

            It is good to know that Eileen is feeling more her old self, She is probably back to school by now.

            Well I seem to be written out this time. I got a good letter from Evelyn which I was glad to get. I ansered it a couple of days ago. She seems to be doing much better.

                                                Yours with love

                                                            Bernand

P.S. The Klocksiem (?) deal don’t look bad if you can get the machinery.

Posted in envelope with “Build Friendships not Warships for National Defense” on the front and “The world has tried war with force and has utterly failed. The only hope of success lies in peace with justice. –President Calvin Coolidge, Cambridge, Mass., July 3, 1925. (500 of these envelopes for $1.60, postage paid, Mrs. C. W. Johnson, 38 Tyler St., Springfield, Mass.)” on the back