Grandpa's letter

Franklin Road,
Auckland,
10th August 1887

My dear Granddaughter
Gracie

I received your very kind letter of congratulation with kisses from all of you for my birthday, and a very pretty card from your sister Lizzie, as also one from yourself, for which I now desire to give you and Lizzie, and Vincent, and Mamma and Dadda many thanks for all your kind wishes, expressed in your letter. I am very happy to tell you we are all quite well, that is your Grandma and aunts and Uncle Frederick. I am also very pleased to tell you I think you are improving in your writing since you wrote to me last, but I still hope you may yet be able to write better every year until everybody who sees any of your writing will be obliged to say, "How nice Gracie does write.. there is no one can write better."

Gracie's Grandpa and Grandma Gaze

And now, Gracie, the text on one of the cards you sent me is 165th verse of the 119th psalm, which has two words in it I very much want you and everybody to think about: "Great peace have they who love Thy law."  --Try and think when we read such words out of the Bible, that God caused all to be written for us to learn good from these words, and ask Jesus to help us by His good Spirit to love Him and His law, and thus we shall have great peace, by loving everyone, and doing all we can to make peace, and everybody about, happy and peaceful because god says so and Jesus wants us all to be happy in this life, and in the future world, where I do hope and you Gracie and I, with all we have loved on earth, may dwell together in Heaven, loving and serving Jesus by praising Him for ever and ever.

--With best love and lots of kisses from Grandma, Aunties, Uncle and myself, I remain,
Your loving Grandpa
Charles Gaze

(Written a few days after Charles's 55th birthday)