LETTERS TO HORRIE

About the Book

These letters/essays were written by Mitzi Broome McKinney, and posthumously compiled (and very minimally edited) by her daughter, Rebekah McKinney-Reese. They are stories about Mitzi’s childhood in West Texas on the ranch near Broome, Texas, with memories about her family and friends. The stories are insightful, poignant, and a window into the mind and spirit of a woman nearing the end of her life…remembering good times, bad times, lessons learned, and all the Life in between. Mitzi began writing these ‘Letters to Horrie’ as shared remembrances with her cousin, Horace Kelton, when she was first exploring the wonderful new world of e-mail. She wrote other essays/stories as well, which are also included. Writing provided a creative outlet when Mitzi’s physical limitations prohibited her from working with her beloved metal, and a vehicle for writing down memories that would have been lost had she not committed them to the written word. Her family is very grateful that she did.

Rebekah compiled these letters/essays after Mitzi died in November 2006. It was a way to help her cope with her immense grief, and she felt closer to her mother as she read and re-read the material. Rebekah and Mitzi always talked about compiling these letters into a book, but never quite got around to it. Mitzi was none too happy with her daughter’s coaxing her into the computer age, but we now know from these writings that she was glad she did. Reading these memories now made Rebekah wish she could ask her mother a million more questions, and she hopes that publishing these stories will keep her mother’s memory and a way of life gone by alive for future generations.

This little book was compiled primarily as a legacy for Mitzi’s family and friends. If other readers find this material, and are encouraged to write down their family’s stories and history, so much the better.

About the Author

Born in San Angelo, Texas, Mitzi was raised in San Angelo and on the family ranch in Broome, Texas. She married W.L. ‘Mac’ McKinney in 1945, and they had three children: Michael, Bradley, and Rebekah. She spent her life actively involved as an artist in the field of metal sculpture, and her beautiful work can be found in numerous churches, public buildings, and private collections. She loved God whole-heartedly and tried in her life and in her work to give testimony to that love.