I still have the first letter I wrote to my Oregon grandparents:

I want to see you. The leaves are falling.

My grandmother, Dana, noted on my letter the date it was received: Oct. 13, 1971. And the she replied on a card postmarked the next day, Oct. 14, 1971:

Dearest Dee … Granddad and I were so very happy to get your lovely letter yesterday. Your handwriting is really beautiful, honey, and we’ll always treasure this “first letter.”

 If I were writing to her today, I would say the same thing: I want to see you.

 Honest, heartfelt: I want to see you.

 And because she was magical and had ESP, I think she would write back the very next day.

Dearest Dee …. I want to see you too … Imagine we are walking at Smith Rock in Central Oregon and it is a beautiful spring day and we are talking about books and dreams and hopes for the future. And after a wonderful hike with family and the schnauzers, we will go to Juniper Junction for huckleberry ice cream… 

Oh how wonderful it is to see you again!