Life's Big Problems
Title
Life's Big Problems
Description
A religious message about a mother receiving a letter from her missing son.
Coverage
Language
Type
Format
One newspaper cutting
Conforms To
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SHanneJH564212v10012
Transcription
LIFE’S [underlined] BIG [/underlined] PROBLEMS
YOU AND YOUR [underlined] SON [/underlined]
By the People’s Friend
SO YOU’VE HAD A LETTER FROM YOUR SON, MRS. SMITH, A LETTER AT LAST AFTER ALL THOSE WEEKS OF ANXIOUS WAITING?
And now, although all you know is that he is “Somewhere in France” and is well, the fear that seemed to tighten its cold grip on your heart every day has gone.
You were singing for the first time since he went away as you dusted round the house this morning, weren’t you?
[three symbols]
AND already you’ve read those two pages written in his dear, familiar hand so often that I’m sure you could recite them by heart – now couldn’t you?
“Dear Mum, it seems ages since I said good-bye …… Don’t worry about me ….. I am as fit as a fiddle …… The smokes arrived safely. I shared them with Ginger, the chap I chummed up with in camp …… Give Mickie a pat for me. Tell him to be a good dog …..”
Just a simple letter from a boy to his mother. Not so very different, in fact, from those he used to write when he camped with the Boy Scouts, except that then he thanked you for chocolate instead of cigarettes.
You can picture him writing it, can’t you, with his curly head a trifle on one side and the tip of his tongue in his cheek – that odd little trick he’s had ever since he scrawled his first laborious pothooks.
[three symbols]
WELL, for a time, his letters and yours will be the only links between you, the only way you’ll have of “talking” to one another.
And so this is what you should do. Keep your letters as bright and cheerful as you can. Even if your heart does ache for the sight of him and the sound of his voice, even if you are a little bit scared and lonely, don’t let a hint of that creep into what you write.
A trifling thing – unimportant, you may think – but it really matters quite a lot. We all have a part to play in these troubled times, Mrs. Smith, and it’s up to you to be as brave and resolute as you can.
And if you feel you need help, read your Bible more often. Draw a little closer to God. Cling to your faith, your trust in His abiding Love, and you’ll find comfort for the darkest hour.
YOU AND YOUR [underlined] SON [/underlined]
By the People’s Friend
SO YOU’VE HAD A LETTER FROM YOUR SON, MRS. SMITH, A LETTER AT LAST AFTER ALL THOSE WEEKS OF ANXIOUS WAITING?
And now, although all you know is that he is “Somewhere in France” and is well, the fear that seemed to tighten its cold grip on your heart every day has gone.
You were singing for the first time since he went away as you dusted round the house this morning, weren’t you?
[three symbols]
AND already you’ve read those two pages written in his dear, familiar hand so often that I’m sure you could recite them by heart – now couldn’t you?
“Dear Mum, it seems ages since I said good-bye …… Don’t worry about me ….. I am as fit as a fiddle …… The smokes arrived safely. I shared them with Ginger, the chap I chummed up with in camp …… Give Mickie a pat for me. Tell him to be a good dog …..”
Just a simple letter from a boy to his mother. Not so very different, in fact, from those he used to write when he camped with the Boy Scouts, except that then he thanked you for chocolate instead of cigarettes.
You can picture him writing it, can’t you, with his curly head a trifle on one side and the tip of his tongue in his cheek – that odd little trick he’s had ever since he scrawled his first laborious pothooks.
[three symbols]
WELL, for a time, his letters and yours will be the only links between you, the only way you’ll have of “talking” to one another.
And so this is what you should do. Keep your letters as bright and cheerful as you can. Even if your heart does ache for the sight of him and the sound of his voice, even if you are a little bit scared and lonely, don’t let a hint of that creep into what you write.
A trifling thing – unimportant, you may think – but it really matters quite a lot. We all have a part to play in these troubled times, Mrs. Smith, and it’s up to you to be as brave and resolute as you can.
And if you feel you need help, read your Bible more often. Draw a little closer to God. Cling to your faith, your trust in His abiding Love, and you’ll find comfort for the darkest hour.
Collection
Citation
“Life's Big Problems,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 16, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.omeka.net/collections/document/37384.