LETTERS OF LOVE IN ISOLATION
A lockdown grandmother is smiling again because of the incredible kindness of strangers
‘Mum doesn’t understand the internet but she is so happy’
Canberra grandma-offour Barbara Murray was stunned when more than 600 letters flooded her mailbox after her daughter Trish made a heartfelt plea online to help her mum combat a sense of isolation.
“Mum moved into a lovely retirement village a year ago,” Trish, 50, tells Woman’s Day, adding that Barbara, 85, loved the social scene there but she couldn’t see her friends or meet up in groups after cafes were closed and exercise classes cancelled because of COVID-19.
“When the pandemic began, everything shut down,” says Trish. “Everyone was told to stay inside all the time. It was so hard on Mum.”
The only activity Barbara could do each day was walk to her letterbox, but sadly she wasn’t receiving much mail – so her loving daughter came up with a plan, asking people in a Facebook group to write to Barbara.
Trish introduced her mother and explained her situation to the group, where she asked anyone who might enjoy writing a letter to message her for the address.
Then, a, week later, a mountain of mail started to arrive. Barbara’s letterbox began filling up with hundreds of letters, cards and parcels from kind strangers around Australia and the world wanting to spread happiness and put a smile on her face.
“Mum doesn’t really understand where the letters have come from. She doesn’t know about Facebook or have access to the internet,” Trish smiles. “But she is just so touched by everyone being so kind and thoughtful in the letters. She absolutely loves reading them all.”