Sandy Munro

Step into another dimension for an unforgettable and enduring treasure of undying love and hope.

FINDING URI is a beautiful true story of the love shared by the parents of Sandy the author through their letters to each other, letters he did not know even existed until months after his mother had passed away. In a calm and loving memoir Sandy expresses his love and longing for the father he never knew and now has a chance to get to know through these letters. He begins with the letters his parents wrote to each other when his father first entered the service and slowly gets a feel of his fathers personality and undying love for his mother. He also gets to know his mother and finds out what she was like during her early 20's, which he finds quite surprising. At times feeling as if he is a peeping tom into their lives, I found it likely those feelings stemming from the fact that most of the letters are love letters between his parents. Sandy goes into details of what he has learned of his fathers journey on the Enterprise and the waiting and planning his mother does while his father was away. In the process you also learn some history of World War II, details of the time his father spent at sea some of the good and the bad.

The short time Uri and Betsy corresponded by mail was frozen in time until Sandy came upon these letters and entered that time and space. Munro speaks about his mother never sharing or commenting about these letters existing before she died. However I get the sense that maybe she had placed them out of her mind or maybe even forgotten about the letters. Probably not intentionally but out of not wanting to relive that painful past. Sandy speaks about some of the letters he came across still sealed, letters written from his mother to his father which had been returned back to her before she had confirmation Uri was missing in action. It was very moving to read this part of the book as Sandy describes how these letters smell and feel when he opens them. What I loved the most about this story is how through these letters Sandy was able to bond with his father now as an adult. Through these letters he compares himself to his father and finds some similar traits. Whether his mother held onto these letters with the intention that someday they would end up in the hands of Sandy or not. She left him a rare gift, one that I am sure she does not regret leaving him. But most importantly is how these letters helped Munro heal in his longing to know his father. Sandy also speaks about his fathers father, Alec and how he became like a father to him and he his like the son his father had lost. Alec lived a long life and I feel this was another gift Sandy received. Although Munro lost his father at the age of four he was able share in the life of his grandfather Alec until the age of ninety-five. Munro talks about the times he spent with his grandfather traveling and visiting and who he many times speaks of resembling in looks and mannerisms. I went through so many emotions while reading this book. At times I felt sad, other times I cried and I also found myself happy as Sandy shares the sweet and undying love his parents Uri and Betsy share for each other and for him their only child in these letters. The relationship he had with his mother and grandmother and the love they shared is also very moving. This book very humbling and I was left with the feeling I had been in another dimension for a time.… (mere)