People are people

I'm working on my historical novel, and at this point in the story, one of the main characters has traveled to France from Louisiana.  That got me to thinking about how different the world is today from the 1850's where my novel takes place.

In those days, when a person traveled across the ocean, there was no way for their loved ones to know anything about how they were doing.  There were letters of course, but even those could be weeks to months delayed.

I remember when I was a child, my mother taught us a rhyme.  It went like this:

I see the moon
And the moon sees me
The moon sees somebody
I'd like to see
God bless the moon
And God bless me
And God bless the somebody
I'd like to see

My aunt was a missionary nun, and in the early 1960's letters were all we had to communicate with her.  I feel like that gives me an insight into how my characters feel when separated, and an insight into the priest and religious brothers that are going to leave France for a missionary assignment in Louisiana.

We are so lucky today to have instant communications with our loved ones.  We still miss their physical presence, but we can be reassured that they are well.

Whether it is 1850 or 2020, people still miss the people they love when they are separated, and still worry about them when they cannot make contact.

There are so many differences I have to worry about when I am writing my historical novel.  But people loving and missing people is the same as it ever was.