Resurfacing

This letter is a part of the Gilson Collection at Florida State’s Institute on World War II and the Human Experience. John, a reserve officer in the Navy, writes to his wife Betty. The letter describes John's frustrations as the war has ended but is still forced to remain on the ship. He mentions being somewhat overlooked because he came from the Naval Reserves. The piece ends with an emotional paragraph about how much John loves and misses his wife Betty.

Jeff wrote a short love-note for Lisa on a Post-It.

Lisa wrote several notes that list reasons why she loves Jeff and posted them around the apartment as a form of encouragement and an expression of love.

This is a screenshot of an Instagram post made by Stephanie H. (username livesandbreathesbooks) for her two year anniversary with her boyfriend.

The final stage is resurfacing. It is when you figure out how to unbury yourselves from the everyday grind and look at your partner and remember exactly what made you fall in love with them in the first place. Their quirky way of laughing that you find endearing suddenly brings butterflies back into your life or they play you a song that you danced to on your first date and it rekindles the passionate love you had. You recognize their flaws, but you also understand that you have your own as well, and you still love each other anyway. This stage can be triggered by a massive problem that gets resolved, a great date, almost losing the other person, a death in the family or a birth. Literally, anything can jolt a partner awake and make them realize that what they have is honest to God love.

The texts to the left are just some of the many examples of how true love can make its way into the way couples write to each other. The first text is a letter written by a WWII soldier to his wife back home detailing his frustrations with the war and ending with an emotional paragraph about how much he misses his wife. Jeff and Lisa Cronk also include notes they have left for each other that simply remind the other of how much they love them.

The final text is a screenshot of an Instagram post I made for my boyfriend on our two year anniversary. We have been through a lot in three years: mental illness, distance, the death of a family member, multiple breakdowns due to stress and/or anxiety, but we are still here together and I believe we have come out of it for the better. Social media is an important way that love letters have been integrated into the scope of everyday writing. It allows partners to share with others the intimate connection they’ve made with someone else and just how happy they are because of it.