Meet David Schaeffer
David Schaeffer, a retired attorney who moved here from Atlanta, is a Kiawah Island resident with a hit book! Schaeffer has written several books, actually, about hiking and mountain climbing. The new book, Letters from Sweeden, is a different kind of book with a very interesting background.
Remember when people used to write letters? I do. My mother saved letters that I wrote to her from the time I was a college student through my days as a young mother. When I look back at those letters, I realize how poorly I wrote and little I had to write about! Of course when calling long distance became as cheap as calling next door, many people, including myself, stopped writing letters. Now we text or email.
David Schaefer’s father was a real letter writer! When Schaefer began reading the impressive stack of letters his father had written to his mother while he was living in Sweeden for eighteen months, the son learned details about his parents’ long distance courtship. The elder Schaeffer was studying in Sweeden and his fiancee lived in Greenville, South Carolina. Sharing his interesting family history seemed to Schaeffer a natural thing to do. Readers report that the book is really a love story–a nonfiction one! The widespread appeal of the story is a testiment to David Schaeffer’s writing skills. I understand that there are no more books available at Indigo Books, but you can order one on line. And maybe, after reading the book, you will start writing letters again!
Frances, You and I exchanged letters, note cards, and Christmas greetings with hand written news-of-note tucked inside. These letters spanned from college through to family shares about children, goings on, etc. Like you and the author you feature here, I have all the letters I exchanged with Mom and Dad while I was away in NC for college. One letter I wrote was 64 pages!! My father was the letter writer and always responded to my lengthy tomes. Beverly
So that’s where you got your excellent letter writing abilities from—your father. I looked so forward to your letters, no matter Christmas or other times. I remember when you sent me a letter with a picture of Bethany. Thought she was the cutest little baby with her curly hair and big brown eyes!
Speaking of letters and fathers: My father was a bomber pilot in WWII, flying a B17 out of England. He wrote letters regularly to his brother, who was too young to enlist/be drafted. I have all of those letters, as my uncle saved them, thankfully. He flew 35 missions, which was a lot at that time, as so many planes were shot down. The letters were in a canvas bag for 75 years; they are now in a binder in acid-free enclosures. He couldn’t talk about where he had flown but could talk about receiving flak, plane issues, etc. Very special family history for us! Special letters-
That is very special, Lindy. Maybe your family should look into publishing these. Very few people write letters these days–too bad.