The Nurses’ Home, The General Hospital
Birmingham
Feb 27th 1915
My own dear Cyril
I was so pleased to get your letter last night. I enjoy hearing from you in the evening because I can come up to my room and read your letter without fear of interruption, and it also gives me pleasant thoughts to sleep on.
I am feeling a good deal better than I did last week and am hoping that after a good rest on Sunday I shall feel “heartened up” to finish another month of theatre work.
I am not spending Sunday with Mrs Jarvis after all. Her husband’s father is dying – I think I told you he has been out of his mind for some weeks – he is now sinking rapidly and naturally they cannot entertain friends at such a time.
This is one place I have in my head – to stay in bed until about 10 am and then dress and take a bus ride to the Likky? Hills – a beautiful country spot I believe – take some lunch with me in case there are no cafés or farmhouses where one can meal on a Sunday and return in time for tea and go to church in the evening. This is my plan if it is a fine day. If it is wet I shall go to church at eleven and spend the afternoon reading a nice book and also possibly writing to you.
It is lecture night so I have not much time to finish my letter if I want to go out afterwards and I think I’d better go out because I stayed in yesterday having had a terrifically tiring day. We’ve been fairly slack today, only two operations, so I have been able to get forward with some of my weekend cleaning which we are supposed to fit in somehow even if it is our weekend holiday.
You end your letter by asking me not to get depressed. I will try, darling, for my own sake as well as yours. I’m afraid my Faith must be very poor for me to be so easily cast down, when, as you say, God will not send me more sorrow than I can bear.
This is our Intercession evening and for the first time we are having a list of friends and relatives at the Front given us to be specially remembered in our prayers. About 18 of us attend these services twice weekly. It is a great rest and help after the day’s work to meet together silently as we do for silent communion with our Creator. It lifts our minds above the sordidness of worldly things and draws us together also in our daily lives.
I had a pc from Barbara today. She says Cecil looked so nice in his new uniform. She is having a very good time with swell French friends. I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if she married a Frenchman, would you?
When the results of the exam comes out several nurses are going to club together and have a supper party. I have been asked to join. It has been suggested that those who fail will be paid for by the others! I hope it won’t be an inducement to anyone to wish to fail!
Well, goodnight dear Heart. I am looking forward to my Sunday letter.
No, it doesn’t matter if you cut Nurse Sampson’s photograph a little bit. Don’t you think she has a nice face? She is a little brick to me and looks after me like a mother. She is a probationer but is older even than I am – although she doesn’t look any older.
With all my love – dear One. I’d just love to give you a kiss and feel your arms round me ….. but it doesn’t do these days to let one’s thoughts wander; at least I find it so. I try to concentrate on my life here to a certain extent and for the present to remember that the other is to be my life, our life, if we are patient and await God’s will.
Ever your devoted
Mela
