PIC No. 46:
• Title: Open This Letter in Ten Years: Life Lessons from Dad’s Love Letters
• Authors: Linda DeHoff and Bill Butterworth
• Publisher: Lulu (July 20, 2022, 153 pages)
• Management Bucket #5 of 20: The Book Bucket
Welcome to Issue No. 46 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.
Your Magnum Opus: Which Life Lesson?
In my one-man campaign to inspire readers to start typing—I call it “You Should Write a Book”—I found a brilliant idea that might work for you.
Pack provisions for a two-week trek and journey to your attic, your basement, or your storage unit. You’ll likely find dozens of sweet and sentimental letters from family, friends, and others that are too poignant to jettison. (Why have you kept them? My bias: “After I cross my finish line, these letters will bring joy to my son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids. No point in shredding these.”)
Then write your book—using selected letters to build themes, life lessons, and family history. That’s what Linda DeHoff did, with the help of my friend, Bill Butterworth. The result is delightful, funny, serious, and deeply spiritual.
At a dinner party in their home near Canton, Ohio, Linda DeHoff, her husband, and other guests, were discussing memories of their parents. That prompted Linda to share a few letters written by her father when he served at Pearl Harbor during World War II and in Japan and Korea during the Korean War.
Perhaps by divine appointment, David Baker and his wife were dinner guests that night. (Baker served from 2014 to 2021 as president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.) He was most intrigued by the 10-page letter, beautifully handwritten by Linda’s father, with the instructions to six-year-old Linda, “Open this letter in ten years.”
Baker read the entire letter—a dad’s hopes and dreams for his daughter “mostly about love and marriage.” After a moment of quiet reflection, Baker urged her, “You should put these letters in a book. People would be inspired by your Dad’s love for you.”
With great reluctance at first, eventually the book idea grew on her and, with Bill Butterworth’s help, this 147-page gem was published just one year ago. The life lessons are both foundational and very special. Linda DeHoff’s purpose in writing shines through: “…some practical applications to your life, without being preachy.”
Disclaimer! I’m the fourth of five sons in my family (no daughters). Joanne and I were blessed with one son—so just the thought of writing a letter to a 16-year-old girl is way above my pay grade. But, now the Lord has blessed us with five grandchildren and 80 percent of them are girls—now young women ages 14 to 20! So, I read this special book with great interest.
MAGNUM OPUS. While in the service, Captain Anton (Tony) Sturrett wrote almost every day to his wife, Helen, and young daughter, Linda. In Linda’s estimation, her dad’s “Magnum Opus” was the 10-page letter he wrote to her on love and marriage—not to be opened until she was 16.
A six-cent airmail stamp on those familiar “VIA AIR MAIL” envelopes funded this precious cargo from Tokorozawa, Japan, to Sandyville, Ohio. Tony’s fatherly letter was written on Dec. 10, 1951. At the time, Capt. Sturrett was with the Army Corp of Engineers. The insightful counsel to his future 16-year-old daughter is still relevant today:
• “The attitudes you’re developing now towards the boys you know will establish the pattern of your conduct towards your husband.”
• “And when you meet the boy you want to marry, you’ll think God has given you the whole place, and there’s no feeling like that in the world.”
• “When the two of you say, ‘I do’ you sign an alliance, not a surrender.”
• “But there’s one more thing. Your husband, your family, your home—your entire life can be truly valuable only if you have a guest in your house and that guest is God.” (In his letter, Tony underlined “God.” I’ve added the link.)
The uniqueness of this book is subtle—and brilliant. Like a good Bible commentary that enriches and makes applicable the meaning of the Scriptures, this book spotlights meaningful snippets from many of Tony’s letters and then drills down deeper with thoughtful commentary. (Several chapters expand on the “Magnum Opus” theme.)
I especially loved these moments:
• Later in life, when Linda’s dad observed she was dressing too casually for dates, he shocked both Linda and her date with his own casual attire. (LOL!) Lesson learned!
• In a lesson on generosity, Tony wrote how he bent a few Army rules to funnel sports equipment to a local orphanage.
• In a fascinating letter dated “19 April 52,” Tony describes a classic bureaucratic meeting with officers—all reluctant to make timely decisions on four building projects, five sewage systems, and the design and cost estimate on 22 rifle and other gun ranges. Due to his disciplined preparation (another life lesson), he finally cut through the bureaucracy and proposed his plans. Result? A decision in 15 minutes!
• Back home in Canton after his military years, Tony bargained with his local barber and proposed that instead of paying $1.00 per haircut each week (the going rate), he would pay him $2.50 per haircut—if the barber would lock in that price for the rest of his life! (They agreed and he paid $2.50 a week for a haircut for well over 40 years—and sometimes he would visit the barber twice a week!)
Read this book! It will inspire you to write letters to those closest to you—sharing life lessons, warmth, and care for those you love. Hmmm. I wonder what you would write in your Magnum Opus letter? Who would receive this precious letter?
PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Book Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.
[ ] THIS. 52 Ways to Share Your World With Those You Love, by Jason Pearson and Doug Fields. (Read my review.)
[ ] Mentoring Moments with Myself: Letters to My Younger Self about Life, Faith, Love and Leadership, by Michelle Hoverson Robinson. (Read my review.)
[ ] Legacy: 60 Life Reflections for the Next Generation, by Stephen A. Macchia. (Read Jason Pearson’s review.)
[ ] Gilead: A Novel (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize), by Marilynne Robinson. (Read my review.)
[ ] The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible: Practical Insights From Extensive Research on Over 1,000 Biblical Leaders, by Steve Moore. (Read my review.)
To order from Amazon, click on the title for Open This Letter in Ten Years: Life Lessons from Dad’s Love Letters, by Linda DeHoff and Bill Butterworth. For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.
© 2023 John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.