Surprise Find

As though of you who follow my short reenacting career know, I am always looking for new information and publications about Laura Ingalls Wilder. One of the recent books I've gotten from the library is "Dear Laura", which is a collection of letters from children to Laura. So many of the letters are sweet, simple letters that tell Laura how much they enjoy her books, and even about their lives. One of the most common themes was apologizing for writing simply "Dear Laura", instead of "Mrs. Wilder", and telling her they used this form as they felt they knew her, that Laura was the name they had become familiar with, and that Laura was the name they had come to love. Honestly, this is an awesome collection of letters and drawings, birthday wishes and valentines. There was one letter in particular that stuck out to me however.

One letter was sent from my middle school here in La Crosse, back in 1947.

How awesome is that? I mean sure, there were scores of other letters from Wisconsin, Minnesota, other states that she lived in. They all gave some perspective of what children did think of the books, yet I believe its almost a general feeling that new readers today can even feel. The only difference is any letters written to Laura today will not be read by her. Yet, to find a letter from the sixth grade at Longfellow Middle School, written back in January 1947 is an awesome connection for me. Plus, who knows? Maybe some day I will take my performance to Longfellow, and I can incorporate that letter into the presentation. Its finds like these, the little surprises of her life, that keep me coming back, to be the lifelong learner that can develop with the new material I find. I have not become Laura lately, but I am definitely ready to get back in that dress to share the new things I've found.