NOTES TO THE SOLDIERS

Mary Livermore, a master organizer, put her talents to work for the war effort by collecting and distributing supplies and funds for sick and wounded soldiers through the Chicago branch of the United States Sanitary Commission. While unpacking countless boxes of donated goods, she very often found notes attached for the eyes of the benefitting soldier, such as the following:

My Brave Friend,
I have learned to knit on purpose to knit socks for the soldiers. This is my fourth pair. My name is ___, and I live in ___. Write to me, and tell me how you like the footgear and what we can do for you. Keep up good courage, and by and by you will come home to us. Won’t that be a grand time, though? And won’t we all turn out to meet you, with flowers and music, and cheers and embraces? “There’s a good time coming, boys!”

Many of these notes were answered by the soldiers who received them, and correspondence often led to lifelong friendships. Mary even learned later that at least a few of these penpal relationships led to marriage.

Mary Livermore

On one pillow was pinned the following:

My Dear Friend,
You are not my husband or son; but you are the husband or son of some woman who undoubtedly loves you as I love mine. I have made these garments for you with a heart that aches for your sufferings, and with a longing to come to you to assist in taking care of you. It is a great comfort to me that God loves and pities you, pining and lonely in a far-off hospital; and if you believe in God, it will also be a comfort to you. Are you near death, and soon to cross the dark river? Oh, then, may God soothe your last hours, and lead you up “the shining shore,” where there is no war, no sickness, no death. Call on Him, for He is an ever-present helper.

For good measure, many benefactors included notes to thwart anyone who would claim the prize before it reached the soldier for whom it was intended. One note that came with a box of cookies said, “These cookies are expressly for the sick soldiers, and if anybody else eats them, I hope they will choke him!”

Prayer: Lord, give me a spirit of generosity that I may pass my blessings on to someone else less fortunate.