1:30 Sunday Afternoon
Dear Family,
I really hate to begin this letter because I dread to say what’s got to be said. We’ve got to feel that the Lord has a purpose for working things out this way. The thing has happened that I’ve been afraid of and hoping against. My pass has been cut on its length and now I have to decide again whether to come home or not. Instead of working in the daytime of Friday I have to work that night. So the best I could do now would be to catch the 4:44AM train out of Philadelphia. Then it will be 10:50PM Saturday night when I get to Indianapolis and even later when I get home - provided I could catch a bus at all at that time of night. I could make pretty good connections at that time of night by changing in Richmond and going to Elwood. But I still lose too much time going the other way to make it practical.
So I wonder if a 40 to 45 hour stay would hardly make it practical. I hate to say that I won’t come because it’s hard to tell what may happen in the meantime. But you can see how things are now. Maybe the best way to leave it is just as I did before; unless you hear from me, I’m still coming. If I decide not to try, I’ll call you sometime Friday or Thursday evening. So if you think I’m not deciding in the right direction, it still won’t be too late to change my mind. I’ll still be able to make it.
If it were some special occasion - Christmas, or the Golden Wedding Anniversary or Easter (which I promised a good while ago to spend at home), I know that I’d come. Perhaps I should even without anything extra, of course, it’s not like my last chance for going home before going overseas or something of that nature. I dare say that before as much time has elapsed as has gone by since I was last home, that I’ll be back for good. I’ll be able to make several trips back and forth from Purdue and spend several Sundays at home with what this one would cost me. If I call, help me to decide, will you?
We do have so many things to be glad for on this Thanksgiving season that we can’t let any little disappointments of our own make us any less thankful. The Lord has certainly been merciful to us.
I didn’t tell you why my pass was shortened but it’s because the fellow who does the same job as I do on the other shift went home on an emergency furlough. I have to take over for him Friday night. Since the officer is there in the daytime he can keep an eye on things and keep it going with fellows who haven’t had quite as much experience at it as we have. But one of us almost has to be there at night.
Well now to change the subject; how’s everything at home? One of your letters said that this last week was to be a kind of a busy one so I’m waiting for word on how everything came out. I’m wondering if you’ve done any more cementing. The weather always makes something to talk about, so how’s that been? I guess the weather here is on the average a little cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago but it’s been pretty nice. Oh it does rain once in a while and the wind blows a good bit but I can’t complain. The sun is shining beautifully today. Of course, the vegetation is too far gone for it to seem like a summer any more but it is a nice day.
Let us truly be thankful for our many blessings this Thanksgiving. I’ll still say that “I’ll be seeing you” even though it may not be as soon as we expected. God bless you.
Your son and brother,
Donald
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