Laines Letters.

Over the weekend I got a start on my card making. I have about sixty blank cards. I bought them in packs of six for $2 in lovely soft pink and natural. Also a few pale lilac. Obviously I have done this a few times and added them to my stash and now have this many! So I am making sixty!

I have heaps of ribbons and laces, broken jewellery etc and I grouped things into themes and colours yesterday, as you saw.

My first group is birds and naturals...

And my second group is pink, lace and roses...

I have eight done anyway! Now though it is great fun creating combinations. The pictures are up cycled gift tags. As I go I will post more pictures. It is as always very relaxing crafting away. When you get so absorbed in what you are doing.... this is a beautiful feeling and so relaxing and such a happy time. 

Years ago when the girls were little and I was then a single Mum I used to read online Laines Letters. She was a Christian wife and Mum and wrote beautiful letters of encouragement, recipes, budgeting and so on. I LOVED her. Now I look back I know she had a massive influence on me and her letters were an amazing ministry. 

When I "met" Helen on the 50c thread we became friends very quickly. So much in common. And her boys are a little younger than my girls. It turned out Helen had read Laines Letters too and loved them as I did. I was so excited she knew what I was talking about! 

Regularly since then I have gone back to Laines archive to read. She hasn't posted letters in a long time and I have always hoped she would. Now the archive is gone. There is a one post blog about adopting from China and another with a couple of posts. The archive site had a window... you could click on and go to letters, recipes etc. I could cry it's gone.

I have wanted to write to her and the email contact does not work. 

I am hoping perhaps she might release the letters in a book. That would be a gorgeous thing! 

If anyone knows anything about Laine, has copies of her letters, contact details or even a vague idea of where she lives would you let me know? I want to write to her and ask her to publish these letters and at least let her know how much they meant to me.

Recently I made a new friend and she also read Laines Letters and loved them. I cannot imagine then how many women in the world were encouraged by Laine. Her husbands name was Art, I think he was originally from Mexico? 

It all goes to prove that when we speak words of love and encouragement we really don't know who might be reading and who might be encouraged. Her beautiful words and attitude have stayed with me and I felt like I knew her and her family as she described them all and their daily lives. I was very lucky to have found her and blessed by her writing.

I think it is a reminder to speak encouraging words to each other. Laine told me not to let anyone ever discourage me from the importance of raising the girls and keeping the home. And I didn't although the world tried. She told me it was the most important worthwhile task and it was. If I met her now I would kiss her and thank her!

We need more Laines in the world, their work is beyond words.

(Adding... this post resulted in finding a link to Laines letters listed in a web archive. One of them is in my next post and here is another....

Alphabetical listing of Laine's Letters I hope this helps those searching for her.)