Musings on Letter Writing

As a child I enjoyed corresponding with penpals from England and France.  My mother's penpal of many years arranged for a girl from her community to become my penpal.  All through junior and senior high school and into my nursing school years we exchanged letters on a very regular basis.  I loved receiving her letters with their delicate script.  And, I would spend many hours writing long letters back to her.  I never ceased to become excited when one of those light blue onion-skin-like envelopes with "par avion" was delivered to the mailbox.  I remember that I always tried to respond within a day or two so that there was a constant stream of letters to and from England.

Then, while taking French in school,  our French teacher arranged for her students to be paired up with students in France who were studying English.  Instant penpals for two classrooms!  How perfect!

With a second penpal, I had double the pleasure of writing, sending and receiving letters.

Even closer to home, before the days of email and definitely before the days of facebook, blogging, etc. I wrote many letters each week - letters to family and friends alike.  If I had kept copies of those letters, I'd have some of the best personal journaling ever! 

Over time, letter writing has moved over to make room for e-mail and then blogging and then facebook...
I still sit down and write at least one or two letters each week - to friends or family - but not nearly to the extent I once did.

This week (March 1st - March 7th) is "Write a Letter of Appreciation Week"... So, I challenge you, if letter writing (snail mail type) has just about vanished from your way of life, why not take a few minutes this week to sit down and jot a note of appreciation to someone who greatly deserves it and is likely to be the last one to expect it!  I guarantee you'll make their day and in the process, you just might rediscover the pleasure that comes with putting pen to paper instead of tapping on the computer keyboard!