Writing Letters

Two weeks ago my parents came to visit me and brought a couple of boxes keepsakes that belong to me. Yesterday I decided to sit down and dig through the boxes and see what I could get rid of. There was a lot of junk, some old purses I had when I was young, half used notebooks, some old summer camp awards, etc. There was also a smaller plastic container that was full of letters. There were letters from my sister written while we were in college, letters from sorority sisters, thank you notes, birthday cards and quite a few letters from my parents and grandmother. I opened them up and started reading them. Some of them made me cry and some of them made me laugh but they all made me feel loved.

I saw a report on CNBC earlier in the week about the Post Office and how it needs a bailout. There was a gentleman guest who said no one uses the post office anymore so we should let it die. It got me to thinking, why don't we write letters anymore? Granted e-mail is faster but it loses some of the intimacy of handwritten correspondence. To me a letter is a little like a warm fuzzy someone has sent to let you know they care. It takes time and effort to pull out the note card or stationary, write the letter and then take a trip to the post office to get a stamp and mail the letter. When someone sends you a letter, you know you are loved.

Last Christmas I received a book titled The Art of the Handwritten Note. The author, Margaret Shepherd, wrote this in the preface:

"A handwritten note is like dining by candlelight instead of flicking on the
lights, like making a gift instead of ordering a product, like taking a walk
instead of driving. Handwritten notes will add a lot to your life. You can still
use the telephone or the Web for the daily chores of staying in touch, but for
the words that matter, it's courteous, classy, caring, and civilized to pick up
a pen."

I think I will write my sister a note.