Letter written by Barb Arland-Fye to her dad in grade school.
By Barb Arland-Fye
Faith on a Journey
My mom asked me to look through a couple of sacks of greeting cards and historical booklets that spanned her 68-year marriage to my dad, Ray Arland. Since his death Oct. 3, Mom has been on a treasure hunt, searching for gems tucked among the cards and narratives that defined and shaped our Catholic family.
Perusing the cards, my hands landed on a small handmade one designed in crayon decades ago. Lingering over the cover, I felt the years peel back to the late 1960s when I was in second or third grade at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School in St. Paul, Minnesota. The design on the front featured pale, crayon tracings of two leaves, one in blue and the other in yellow.
Beneath the artwork, printed in pencil, I wrote: To Dad with Love. The text inside the card, with one misspelling, read: “Dear dad, I Love you with all my heart. If you ever die my heart wold be lost forever. You are my only hope. You are the best dad in the world. Love, Barb
Beneath the text were two small images in crayon, a heart and a flower.
My heart is not lost all these years later but it does ache with longing for Dad, who inspired, motivated and lifted me up from childhood through adulthood. His legacy of faith, love, humor and diplomacy continues in the lives of the three sons and one daughter that he and Mom raised.
A few weeks after I found that precious card, Mom rediscovered a Mother’s Day card that Dad had sent to his beloved mom, Irene Arland, when he was serving with the U.S. Army in Germany in the early 1950s. The love he expressed for his mom echoes the sentiment expressed in his young daughter’s card.
A letter that Barb’s dad, Ray, wrote to his own mom while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany.
He wrote, in part: “To the World’s Best Mother:
I hate to be away from home on the second straight Mother’s Day, but that’s the breaks. Hope you and Gram are feeling well on your honored day. I’ll say many prayers and offer Communion on that famous Sunday for you. Thanks for all you’ve done for me the last 21 years and 9 days and I’ll make it up to you in later years if that’s possible. Love, Ray
Both cards are God’s gifts, a reminder that Ray Arland remains present in our lives, inspiring us to carry on his legacy.
(Barb Arland-Fye is the retired editor of The Catholic Messenger and is a member of Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire.)
