Years ago, possibly on my second tour in Valdosta, I wrote a short piece offering praise for Sen. Helms. I believe the subject was gun ownership.
Weeks later I received a letter from the senator thanking me for what I wrote. Apparently a friend of one of his siblings saw it in our paper and mailed it to her. The relative passed it on to Sen. Helms who wrote to me. It was a brief note, but very sincere. He mentioned that he didn't get a lot of positive press and that didn't bother him much but that it weighed on his family. He thanked me.
Being an idiot, I misplaced the letter during one of my many moves. But I still appreciate the fact that a man as powerful as Helms worried about his family's feelings and that he took the time to write me.