Dear, Mom

Today was rough, I managed to get through the day. I've been doing well here at the shop, but our profits are lower than normal and the profits keep on decreasing. Ever since the war started we really haven't been able to get as much money on cotton like we use to. I feel that soon we may go out of business because we haven't been getting the revenue we need, so now I have to work two jobs and my wife is now thinking to get a job rounding up cattle and selling the cattle for meat. These are troubling times and my son is not doing to well and he is getting sick, but we don't have enough money to take him to the doctor.

I feel that I'm not being a good enough person to my child and wife. It is even hard for me to put food on the table. We always have to ration our food with each other and it seems that we get less and less food each day passes and our house is going to be demolished. I don't want to be on the streets with my sick child. Hopefully the war will be over soon if not I don't see how we will survive on ten dollars a day.

Love, Your son Joshua Bowen