The Lost Art of Hand-written Letters

      While digging through old boxes left in the attic more than twenty-five years ago, I came across dozens of stamped envelopes containing letters, hand-written, from friends and family members. Their pages musty and soft, the ink faded and smudged, the pile was more than could fit in my left hand. I read them word for word and was filled with nostalgia. Laughing and shaking my head at the silly antics of young seventeen and eighteen-year-old girls, but then sadness and heartache invaded my heart as I read another friend’s letter describing her struggles with school and feeling lost. Pages of good news, and not so good. Paragraphs of mundane chores and, “Today wasn’t very exciting,” and sometimes even, “Nothing special going on here, just wanted to say hi.” Often, letters, especially ones from my grandmother, would end with reminders of how much they love me, how they missed me and couldn’t wait to see me again. “Take care of yourself, Kaitlyn. Hopefully we can see each other again soon! Love, __________. “

It must have taken over an hour to read through all those letters. I sat there, completely overwhelmed with emotions. My heart was full yet light. I thought about the effort and care that each person had taken to put pen to paper, with intention, to greet me, “Dear, Kaitlyn.” How wonderful to read their account of things that were important to them. I experienced a feeling I hadn’t had since the takeover of Facebook, Direct Messaging, Likes and Hearts and being tagged or mentioned in the comments of a social media post. That’s when it really hit me just how sad it is that no one writes letters anymore. Why would they when the internet has made it easier and faster than ever to send someone a quick hello with minimal effort?

I can’t be the only one that sometimes finds emails and text messages slightly annoying- almost a nuisance- regardless of their content. The cute little jingle or the staccato “buzz-buzz”- whatever alert you’ve chosen for incoming messages-- doesn’t it ever just get to a point where you’re tired of hearing that cheerful little chirp? But when you’re leafing through your endless pile of (primarily) junk mail, tell me you don’t immediately find yourself with the biggest smile on your face the moment you come across a stamped envelope addressed to YOU. Nothing quite compares to that feeling of receiving a communication in the mail that traveled some amount of distance. A few miles? Maybe hundreds or thousands? How quickly you rip open that envelope and devour each word. You might even find yourself starting from the beginning again, “Dear _______. How are you? I hope this letter finds you well…”  

Remember that feeling- the joy it brought you. The reminder that you are loved and thought of; that you matter. I hope you will find your favorite pen, a blank paper and write, “Dear, friend… How are you?”