July 13, 1971: The Best Kind of Love

In this short but powerful letter, my dad writes from Vietnam about what truly matters in life — and what doesn’t.

“My work and your thoughts on it will make our lives and our happiness,” he writes. “Money is not the key. Love and happiness is the only key of our love.”

That line says everything about who he was.

He reminds my mom that even though they’re far apart — even though the war has kept them from building a home together — their love is the life. Not a paycheck. Not a place. Just them, and the peace they make between each other.

This letter is filled with reassurance, tenderness, and a kind of steadiness that only comes from someone who knows what matters. It’s the kind of love that makes you feel safe, seen, and held — even from halfway around the world.

He also gently reminds her not to become like Jean Sabato — a reference to an affair that unraveled a marriage between two of their friends. And while the story behind that is messy, the reason he brings it up is simple: he trusted my mom. He believed in her. And he was reminding her, in his own way, that what they had was rare — and worth protecting.