Clearing and packing again today. I found this and for fear of losing it I took a photo.
Almost 30 years old it is a note from my father to his expat son. My father died the same year, quite unexpectedly.
The red cross parcel was a supply of OXO cubes as I had lamented that I could not find them in the local supermarket in Frankfurt.
All downhill from here 
Very, very special. A reminder to us all that whims can give very long-term happiness, so are worth following.
Indeed. Just a few lines but so valuable. My mother wrote regularly, my father very rarely. So to have the memento after so many years and probably the last one, is very important to me.
That’s a wonderful find, Andrew. From humble beginnings, you have obviously done you Dad proud. I thought of protecting it with lamination, but maybe that isn’t the way to go. Do you have one of those books with the peelable plastic page covers that are used for recipes or photographs? It would be a shame for time to open those folds into tears.
A handwritten note from a loved one is a treasure, no doubt !
Did you find OXO cubes in Frankfurt in the end ?
I think I smuggled supplies across the border from Switzerland.
Oh, Andrew, this is a precious keepsake. What a treasure.
Two years after my dad died, as I was cleaning out some papers I found a stack of notes, letters and cards held together with a rubber band and tucked in his bedside table. He’d kept everything I’d written to him, from a misspelled little note with an childish picture I made when I was 4 1/2, to letters and cards I’d helped his granddaughter write when she was about the same age.
Handcrafted and handwritten correspondances are touching reminders of our connections.
And handwritten notes are dying out. I dont think we are saving e mails in the same way. I have other treasures including a pencil note from my paternal grandfather, who died in ’47, to my father. The times they are a’changing, Marylin.
That is such a treasure. I keep a box full of my late Mother’s notes. They are so comforting.
I never tire of seeing them. Same as old photos. They offer the security blanket of nostalgia.
People don’t send enough handwritten notes these days, much less oxo cubes, in the post. Such a precious note and memory – keep them safe!
Great story Andrew. There is the love of a father shining all through it. I would have felt the same if my dad had sent me a nice herring.
Un ricordo molto prezioso. Io purtroppo non riesco a leggere cosa c’è scritto nella lettera, ma sicuramente la firma Love Dad dice già tanto.
Un abbraccio, Pat
Thanks Pat. It has value beyond any monetary sum. Very precious indeed.
What a sweet note. It has brought tears to my eyes!
Easy on the onions, Maggie.
A lovely memory of your dad. Made me teary eyed as I thought about my parents who sacrificed so much so that my sister and I could get an education.
There is nothing wrong with being sentimental. I find it endearing.
The cost of all the things that you are shipping would likely buy you a decent house in the states. This is just for comparison. Mind you, I said decent not good or fine. 🙂
As an aside: Somehow I lost my Google chrome spell cheker and now I am afraid to install for fear I will be scammed. Now need to trek of to the PC tech.
Priceless!
Such fun finds in the archeology of packing…
A great relic!
What a gem, a lovely letter and definitely one to treasure. I love the thought of your dad sending you an emergency parcel of Oxo cubes – strange to think that the Bisto Kid is now returning. Hope the packing and moving isn’t doing your noddle in. Not long now 🙂
Lottie, we have 300 packing cases. They decided today that various items needed to be crated. Extra cost. Some things we have in writing can be shipped they decided today can’t be. It is awful. And more tomorrow. I am taking a risk with insurance too. I have a lump sum plus a few high value items (paintings) but if I insured the camera gear it would be astronomic. It’s a scam.
Grrrr!! I really feel for you. Pete and I nearly went demented trying to get our stuff shipped back and that was just 80 packing cases so I can imagine what hell it must be for you and Shirley packing up an entire house. The shippers make it so complicated when it needn’t be. We ended up paying almost $2,000 more because they’d messed up our paperwork in Jakarta – NEVER AGAIN!!
I cam see whete the droll humour comes from Andrew
Yes Rod, he had a very good sense of humour when he chose but often it was hidden behind a stern exterior.
His sense of humour shone through the words very clearly 🙂
That is a special treasure!
It is Joanne and I am relieved that I captured it in case it gets lost in the move.
That was a really good idea. I did the same thing with letters my mother had saved that my dad wrote to her during the war. The paper was starting to deteriorate and the ink was fading badly. Now I have digital images of all of them!
Digital imaging is great. I photographed a load of stuff in 10 minutes, just in case it ‘goes astray’. Downloaded the lot this evening and will back up tomorrow. So easy.
There’s something heart felt about finding something from ones past. Memories of a time when………….
Yes Sheldon, memories are precious. Thanks for the comment.