December 31, 1918 – Full diary entry:

“This ends this diary. I have not kept it as faithfully as I should but as there are good reasons most of the time, I am fairly satisfied with it as a record of the most important year of my life. I do not think there will be another as great in my life.

Marriage, broken engagement, Army, trip to France, various actions and battles, the birth of my son. And going through all this and thinking it over I can say that I am happy just the way things are. My absence from my dear wife and my mother and dad have been hard but all is well and I feel sure that it will be all for the best.

There are big events ahead of me no doubt but I can’t worry about them now. For who can tel what the future will bring. All’s well that ends well.

All this time I have been true to my oaths and most of all I have been true to my wife and my new ideals which she has taught me. Love has worked wonders. Lenore taught me the meaning of God and “God is love.”

What a beautiful entry. It would have been a fitting end to this collection, but Robert returned to this diary in February to mark his and Nora’s first anniversary. Then there is one last page on which he summarized the rest of the 140th’s time in France, ending with their return home in April.

I’ll post those, along with the rest of his letters, in the coming weeks. I won’t wait for their 100-year anniversary.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.