Evelyn Seidel's Valentines- the rest of the story

On a busy day in Greensboro, NC,

 rushing from one event to another

at a Church Worker's Conference,

I took a break to check email

and found a comment on a blog post from

Feb. 14, 2013.

evelyn-seidels-valentines

You need to read the first part

 of this story for the following to make sense.

The story about Evelyn Seidel's Valentines

and also the story of Alice Jean Seidel's Valentines.

It is the story continued from Alice's daughter-

 Gail, that I tell here.

I talked with Gail by phone today,

 and recounted the story

 told on the previous blog post.

 I had her family history correct.

The lost family has been found.

More of the story here:

Gail and I were both there at that auction

 in Kendallville, Indiana, in the Spring of 1980,

both with misty eyes and grieving hearts.

I was just a couple months past the death 

of my first husband, Larry.

Gail was there with her mother, Alice Jean.

Gail was there by her mother's side-

 the day so vivid in memory,

 she still remembers the shirt

 a family memory wore that day.

Notes from my online research- a year and half ago

I could not believe that somehow

 the box of beautiful Valentines 

was mine with a bid.

 I vowed to carefully protect the treasure-

the sentimental value.

The pieces of love and affection 

both handmade and store-bought- given as tokens

to mark time and place in the calendars of our lives,

stamped with LOVE.

Gail has three siblings- David, Edward and Carolyn.

Edward is a computer programmer,

 and on a whim one day-Goggled his aunt-

Evelyn Seidel - Married to Ralph Lamp.

Up came the blog post about the Valentines.

And the story went to family members.

Gail- just a couple of years my senior- 

lives in Ft Wayne, Indiana-

 my home stomping grounds.

Lutheran stock.

Ft. Wayne Lutheran heritage.

Some of the Valentines are now part of

Heart Day celebrations 

in the homes of adult daughters-

as this box became their treasured Valentine stories.

But, I have carefully sorted out the Valentines 

in the silver box labeled -

 Alice Jean Seidel.

And also some of Evelyn's-

 for Gail to distribute as she desires.

They have been lovingly 

set in a box to mail to Gail.

To keep or distribute to family members.

Thirty-four years waiting for the rest of the story.

Reunited with family.

And as we touched lives together with a phone call,

we both could not help but notice the God-designed plan.

He has so carefully marked the details of our lives-

to bring Him Glory.

And so we sing-

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!