The Lost Art of the Handwritten Letter

I just spent the last hour and a half looking through a box of old cards and letters. None of the cards or letters had anything to terribly exciting in them, but it was a great reminder of the power of a written letter. There were birthday cards, Halloween cards, graduation cards, birth announcement, thank you cards, but mostly letters. I have always loved getting "real" mail and at one point, was very good at writing letters to people.

It was funny that several of the letters started with "thanks so much for your letter." So, I'm not sure these people really wanted to write me or if they just felt compelled to write back. In any case, I'm thankful for the many pen pals I had during grad school, and thankful that my sorting project (and my "packrattedness") has brought a smile to my face.

I've kept several of the cards, letters, etc. that the boys have received from their grandparents for this very reason. I hope they can someday find joy in reading the letters they received and bring up good memories from the past.

I found a Christmas card from my Nana, typed letters (ok, not all were hand written) from my Dad encouraging me through grad school, my birth announcement my aunt sent from a local paper, a note from my adviser with comments on my final senior paper, and several letters from friends with basic updates on their lives at the time. There's hardly a need for someone to write me a letter these days - I can find out what's going on instantly by reading their blog or Facebook page or sending off a quick email. And while I obviously love Facebook, nothing compares to having someone take the time to write you a note or send a card.

The one other thing that pleased me was that I'm still in touch with almost every person who sent me a letter. I've obviously grown apart from some of them and maybe this is the year I reestablish a better connection with these folks. I can hardly believe that I will be sitting here 13 to 14 years from now having such nostalgic feelings by reading my old emails. I guess I will cherish the annual deluge of holiday cards as that is about as close as I get to "real" letters these days (besides the letters we get from my mother-in-law - she is a truly gifted letter writer).