This past weekend, I was sorting through things that I needed to put away.  And there in the middle of other things, was a manila envelope marked “Old Letters.”  So, of course I stopped what I was doing, just to check them out. And of course, that took up a lot of my time and I abandoned my sorting to reminisce. 

I used to be quite the correspondent.  I wrote to friends and family and also had pen pals.  I guess you could still say that I still write letters in a way, because I like to get into written conversations with people that I never see in person.  Sometimes the people are even in town, but our paths never cross. So email was the first such vehicle for my missives. But Facebook is my method now. It is easier.  And there are pictures!

It is also wonderful that you can do facetime on Facebook.  I do appreciate all these ways of communicating, because that is who I am, a communicator.  And I strive to keep my relationships going as much as I can.

But I digress, as usual.  Back to the letter-writing.  Reading old letters made me nostalgic for that special kind of communication, which is practically a lost art now.  I still try to write someone once in a while, but it doesn’t happen often anymore.

Recently though, I began to write to a friend that was grieving.  We lost someone who was very dear to us both. We have written back and forth a few times now, and every time I receive a reply, I feel a warm rush of feelings and nostalgia sets in.  We have commented that each time, there is a wistful feeling when we receive mail from each other. I’ve missed that.

A letter can bring you back to a particular place and time. And reading it can bring you back to that moment when you were a kid, or a college student or a new parent.  The movies of your life can play in your mind. And it is so wonderful!

The fact that someone sat down and put pen to paper, folded that paper with their words and feelings on it, and took the time and effort to put it in an envelope is special.  And the writing on the outside with addresses inscribed and the stamp in the upper right corner also takes time and care, and that is special too. There is a little piece of ourselves that is in that letter we send.  It is significant, and I remember it well. And I think I am going to start doing it again.