 | Letters of Mrs. Adams, |  |
TO MRS. PACKARD.[1]
With the only beloved daughter of my late venerable
and respected friend, I pour the tear of sympathy,
and with a full heart participate in the sorrowful
event, which has deprived her of one of the most
tender and affectionate of parents; one of the best
of mothers; one of the kindest friends; one of the
pleasantest companions; and one of the most exemplary
of women.
To me she was a "Friend of more than fifty years
ripening," my earliest, my constant, and my oldest
friend. Dear departed spirit, wilt thou still be my
friend in those regions of immortal bliss, to which I
trust thou art translated, and whither I hope ere long
to follow thee. With Dr. Johnson, I can say "hope
dictates what revelation does not confute; that the
union of souls may still remain, and we who are
struggling with sin, sorrow, and infirmities, may have
our part in the attention and kindness of those who
have finished their course and are now receiving their
reward."
And faith points upward to the sky."
Scarcely had the grave closed over the remains of
my esteemed friend Madam Sargent, relict of the
late Judge, ere it was again opened to receive those
of one still dearer to me. It is more than fifty years
since my acquaintance commenced with her, who in
that period became your mother. I was then a
child, and carried by my grandmother, to visit with
her, your grandmother, whom she taught me from
my earliest infancy to venerate, as well as to love
and respect her daughter. And this, before any
connexion in the family, united us in closer bonds.
The early impressions I received, were indelibly
stamped by time, and impressed by my own judgment,
as I advanced in life, and became more capable
of appreciating the many virtues of your late excellent
parent, in the various relations she sustained, of
daughter, wife, and mother, in each of which she
had few equals, and I know not her superior. You
have reason for gratitude and thankfulness, that she
was spared to you, to a very advanced age, and with
as few of its infirmities as is the lot of humanity;
always possessing a cheerfulness and vivacity, which
whilst it enlivened, delighted, for it was chastened
with dignity and decorum.
"Peace, and esteem, is all that age can hope,"
these she enjoyed through life, and having fixed her
hopes and expectations upon a solid foundation, she
is gone to reap the fruit of a well-spent life.
Resumes them, to prepare us for the next."
Let us, my afflicted friend, improve this dispensation,
to that useful purpose, and whilst I reflect upon
the many endearing virtues and bright qualities,
which adorned the life and conversation of your
dear departed parent, strive to emulate her example,
and transplant them into our own lives. Thus shall
we honor her memory, and transmit it with lustre to
posterity.
This is the fervent wish, and ardent desire, of
your sympathizing friend,
| Letters of Mrs. Adams, | |