The Last Time She Smiled.

How handwritten letters from a young girl touched the heart of a grandmother

'A letter is a soul, such a faithful copy of the beloved voice which speaks, that fragile souls count it among love's most precious treasures.'
Honore De Balzac

Shortly before Christmas we received the sad but not unexpected news that my husband's grandmother had passed away. She had lived a long life, well into her nineties but in recent years had faced a number of health issues. On quite a number of occasions we had received a phone call informing us that she was not expected to live for much longer but each time she defied the doctors and surprised the family and the next call was not the details of a funeral but rather that she was sitting up in bed, talking and eating. I thought perhaps, that she was determined to receive her telegram from the Queen that citizens of the Commonwealth are entitled to on reaching the age of one hundred but this was not to be.

But in the final weeks of her life she would receive a letter that would mean far more to her than any congratulatory words from a monarch. Confined to her bed, as her earthly life was ebbing away and unable to read the letter for herself, the letter was read to her by her daughter. It was another letter from across the Tasman from my seventeen year old daughter who since the age of nine or ten had been faithfully writing letters to her great grandmother. I'm not sure what she shared in that final letter. Most likely it would have been about our preparations for Christmas and what she was baking in the kitchen which her great grandmother loved to hear about. This letter would gladden her heart one more time, for on hearing it read to her I was told that it was the last time she smiled.



It was then that I realized just what those letters meant to her. It had started out as a suggestion. We thought it would be a good way for our daughter to practice her writing rather than just using workbooks which are eventually discarded and this was purposeful writing because we knew that my husband's grandmother would appreciate receiving a letter in the mail from a member of her family. It soon became apparent that she did indeed enjoy receiving those letters and she began sending letters in return. Sometimes she would scold my daughter when she did not immediately reply but this did not deter my daughter and she kept on writing. At that time her great grandmother was living in Australia. A long distance from us but we were able on a number of occasions to make the trip to her city and visit her in her little flat and have a cup of tea with her, something she took much delight in. For her, the most memorable visit would have been when we introduced her to our twin daughters who were just 3 months old at the time. She had been ill and was thrilled to see us but to have those tiny girls placed into her arms was a moment of pure joy for her!




I am not entirely sure how many letters my daughter wrote to her great grandmother over the years - I have lost count. She also sent little gifts on her birthday and at Christmas and lots of photographs of the family which she proudly set out on display around her home. Those handwritten letters became some of her most treasured possessions and it is only now that she has gone that I am realizing what they truly meant to her. I can just imagine the spring in her step when she would see that envelope addressed to her among the utility bills and supermarket mailers. It was more than mere correspondence or sharing of family news. It told her she was not forgotten, that someone cared for her and considered her worthy of a personal handwritten letter in a day and age when letter writing is becoming a lost art as other more impersonal forms of social and electronic communication take over.

I was asked to write a piece for the funeral which was read out for those in attendance. I shared as I have with you about the letters and correspondence and how they touched the heart of a great grandmother. I wanted a Bible verse that aptly described the value of letter writing and in particular what these letters meant to this old lady. I began to search the Scriptures and found two fitting verses. Proverbs 25 verse 25 states 'As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country.' Absolutely! The letters would have refreshed her and revived her soul whenever she felt the aching pain of loneliness.

Proverbs 16 verse 24 tells us that 'Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.' Pleasant words can be spoken but they can also be put into writing and the words she read were sweet to her like honey. Simple greetings such as 'How are you? I hope you are feeling better.' And sharing of everyday news to which she could relate which would bring back fond memories of times when she was able to look after a garden and bake - the simple pleasures of home. We knew she just loved having the opportunity to share about what she had taken delight in over the years such as growing flowers and making afternoon tea for friends.

And so came to an end a rare friendship between an elderly lady and a teenager. A friendship that was founded on the exchange of letters. Letters that brought hope and encouragement and brightened almost every week of the last decade of her life. And one final letter which would touch her soul during her final days on earth - the last time she smiled.