My father kept postcards from his childhood. I found them after he passed away. I never knew they existed until then. He was born in 1899 in Sandstone
Township of Jackson County, Michigan It was a different time. Dad would have been horrified to see how this old world is turning nowadays. It was a gentler time. Boys on the farm didn't have the distractions that abound now.

Imagine getting a thank you letter from a child for a gift he received? Imagine a nine year old boy writing to relatives who lived thirty miles away just to keep in touch? My dad did. Nowadays I do get instant messages on Facebook from my grandsons thanking me for birthday gifts. From what I read in the Dear Abby column, that is unusual, too.

Back to the card. Since the correspondence from a Mrs. Ackrman was written in pencil and a lot of water has gone over the dam and under the bridge since she wrote to my dad, I will copy it here:

“Ann Arbor, Mich
February 24, 1909
Dear Owen:
I am lots better. Tell mama. I received your nice letter this morning. I will write one to you when I answer your mama. The girls go to school every day. They like the schools here, but Mabel rather be in the country.

Bye bye, Mrs Ackman”

Letter writing has become a lost art. I treasure the many letters I received from my mother over the years, Some are mounted in my scrapbooks. She is gone to her reward now, but I can relive yesteryear in her letters.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!