I Send a Thousand Kisses

Feb. 4, 1945

My dear wife Gene,

Today is another Sunday. I hope you will forgive me. I have just been sleeping as sound as a log for about three hours. I feel pretty "hep" now, except it was too warm so it took me a little while in the fresh air to recuperate. The only place I could walk was around the decks. I wish it could have been around Flower Street with you, my sweetheart.

I just received the best letter from my love yesterday. It was dated the 17th. The one you finished at work. But golly it was so short and the particular part that I liked best of all was even shorter. It was about the comments that were being made about your changing in appearance. Now why did you tell me not to laugh? You should have known I would be, and was, so tickled all over that I burst right out laughing. I loved you so much I wanted to reach out through space and kiss you. In my heart, my love, I did. It was almost like being there with you again and seeing you tell me all about it in a half-blushing way.

Gene, write me more letters like that, will you? Do you think that a strange request? After all, you are more important to me than anything or anybody. It is you my heart calls out for all the time. Is it odd then that I should like more particular information about someone so dear. Oh my love, I want to know all about you. Please send me some pictures so I can see you again.

I'm hoping I'll get a whole pile of letters from you today or tomorrow. I'll write you tomorrow. All my love, Perry

Feb. 5, 1945

My dearest darling,

I received two letters from you yesterday. One postmarked the 22nd, the other, your very sweet Valentine, the 26th. The last one previous to those was postmarked the 17th. There seems to be some lacking in between. I guess I will get them in time. The only thing I don't always understand what you are talking about because of the missing parts.

By the way, you said, "Mother and I went to see _________" Then there is a blank space. Then you tell me what a good show it was and to be sure and see it if I get a chance. Now what kind of a show was that? You mean it was "unmentionable?" I am burning up with curiosity. Ha, ha!

Thanks so much for the Valentine my sweetheart. And that was the best little verse. It expresses just perfectly the way I feel too. And the kisses were very sweet too. I could almost feel your warm lips against mine even across all the space that separates us. I also received the letter you sent that my folks had written to us. I saved it 'til the last because I thought it was a letter from you and it seemed so big and fat. I must confess, I was a little disappointed.

Notice the lipstick "kisses" bottom left

I hope your tooth (or where your tooth used to be) is all right by now. Well, maybe you are a baby, but I would surely like to have been there to baby you. I suppose I will hear more of the details about it in some of the letters you had previously written, but which I haven't received yet.

How I wish I could have been there to go to conference with you. That would have done me so much good. It has been so long since I had some good spiritual uplift. Your letters are the best thing though. We must be patient and some day, not too far distant I hope, we are going to go to General Conference in Salt Lake and I will show you all around. Then I think I will be very nearly perfectly happy.

Say, don't you think you had better be careful about paying me such compliments. You know I could resist you no less than you could me. Well sweetheart, I can hardly concentrate on anything until I find out if I got some more mail from you today. Will write you tomorrow. All my love until then--and I send a thousand kisses. Lovingly Yours, Perry