April is National Card and Letter Writing Month

Remember the last time you got a real card or letter from a real person you care about in your real mailbox? You tromped down the driveway on an ordinary day, opened the lid, and there it nestled, among the bills, flyers, catalogs and other unasked-for marketing detritus, an envelope with an actual stamp and a handwritten address! Maybe it was a birthday card, or a birth announcement. Maybe it was an invitation to a bridal shower or a Valentine. Or maybe it was a real, honest-to-goodness, chatty, "newsy" letter! You flushed with pleasure to see the familiar name and return address, admired the choice of stamp, and ran gleefully back into the house to savor the message at length, possibly even brewing a cup of coffee or tea and ensconcing yourself on the couch or at the kitchen table to read the news.

Maybe there was an article, carefully clipped from a newspaper or magazine, that the sender thought you'd be interested in. "I was reading this and thought of you," the note says. Maybe there's a recipe or some coupons; maybe the local paper did a write-up on your dad and your mom sent it to you, the far-flung college kid or grad. Maybe there are photographs of the new little one, or the bride-to-be, or the first tree planted at the brand new house, all of which to display proudly on your fridge.

And the letter itself brought your friend or your aunt or your college roommate right into the room with you. Maybe there was monogrammed stationery, maybe it was one of those note cards the charities send us to try to get us to donate, or maybe it was a piece of notebook paper decorated with stickers from your niece, but that letter was an experience, not just for the news, but for the connection. You probably saved that letter, that article, and certainly those photographs. It was a piece of your friendship, your relationship, and your love.

These days, it is very easy to send messages via email. We can "enclose" that interesting article by linking to it. We can send photos, too, of course. But that article might not be on the newspaper's home page any more, and those photos will be admired, but are unlikely to be printed out, much less placed in the glory spot on the refrigerator, and that message, however heartfelt, will either clutter an inbox until it gets lost in the shuffle, get printed out on regular paper in a boring font and stuffed in a file box, or end up deleted. And no matter how excited you get upon hearing that little "ding!" from your in-box, how does that compare with the sheer joy of that single letter, in a bright blue envelope plastered with Goofy stickers, from your eight-year-old nephew?

So, as April is National Card and Letter Writing Month, I'd like to issue a not-so-challenging challenge: write a card or a letter to someone you care about, just to make their eyes light up when they get the mail. If you are afraid you don't have much to say, get a cute card and just write a paragraph or two on the inside (you can always add an extra sheet of paper if you really get going). If you think it's a bother writing longhand, go ahead and type it up on the computer, but print it out on some cool colored paper or stationery made for your printer. If the letter is not very long, you can fill it out with some pictures, or clip an article or some cartoons. Pick a pretty stamp and maybe some stickers, or at least a nice seal for the envelope. Go ahead and admire your handiwork; I guarantee you will have a fine sense of accomplishment as you look at that letter you know is going to brighten up Aunt Gina's day. And once you have risen to the challenge of writing one card or letter, see if you are not inspired to drop a few more of these precious surprises in the mail. It can be pretty addictive! Remember, you've got a whole month to get started, and the rest of your life to enjoy the benefits of keeping in touch, for real.