ASPR Journal, V14 - Iapsop.com

10 Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.
The first one, "Mary B." showed her lifetime warmth and
friendliness, her devotion to her husband and family, which
had been rare and beauti fu1, her interest in her children and the
home environment, her steadfastness in friendship, and her love
of music. Her philosophizing is characteristic too, tho more
conventionally phrased than I should have expected-which of
course may be due to subliminal coloring. Her virtual apology
for certain entirely natural reactions to her own life-experiences
is also characteristic, for she was quick to confess herself in
error in life, if she came to feel herself to be so. Her openmindedness
and responsiveness were strong traits.
Her expression here of thanks for help and her saying that
I am always to be linked in her thought " with those who were
a part of her soul" are given on her first opportunity, for at the
time of her passing she was unable to speak to me intimately.
Owing to certain important circumstances, she must have longed
to do so. Her being " sorry so many, many times that she could
not tell " her husband something would be entirely characteristic.
She would certainly long to do so if she felt she had misjudged
him in any way. Her devotion to her husband w·as surpassing.
The second day's letter, that from my mother, showed equally
distinguishing characteristics. Her maternal desire " to help "
was always unusually strong. She preferred helping others to
serving herself, too often to her own deprivation or depletion.
Doubtless it would be characteristic of many mothers to do as
she did in this letter; to seem to regard me as a child and yet to
express her appreciation of the seriousness of the work in which
I am engaged. Her open-mindedness in reference to this work,
her own growth in understanding of it, and appreciation of the
help it has given her are quite in keeping with her character
as I knew her. She had a curious way in her lifetime of making
practical adjustment in individual cases to circumstances and
acts which her established code of morality and religion were
flatly opposed to approving in theory.
Especially vital seems my mother's humorous touch in the
remark about cats and pets. She always did put humor into her
reactions and .experiences in this life, and this rather than a fondness
for " pets" is the logical explanation of this remark in the
automatic writing. Indeed, as one of a large family of ·children
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