The Lost Art of Letter Writing

When I was a little girl I lived to write letters. I wrote letters to almost everyone I could think of, at least those who I thought might enjoy receiving a letter and possibly sending one back. You name them, I wrote them: grandmoms, grandads, great-grandmom, great-grandad (both pairs), aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, friends from camp, friends who had moved to other countries and on the list goes. I even wrote my fifth grade teacher several years after graduating her class. The greatest thrill to me as a child though was that people wrote back! There was something special about the anticipation of waiting for a letter from some far off relative or friend. When all that was coming in the mail were bills and junk it made me bound for joy to see my name printed out among those unwelcome intruders.

Sadly, in today's world of internet and instant satisfaction I'm afraid that letter writing is being tossed by the wayside. Not too many people have the time nor inclination to sit down, pick up a pen and start writing. I often find myself falling into this category thinking it would be more expedient if my great-grandmom had and would use a computer. Then she could receive pictures of her great-great granddaughter and it would be much simpler for me. But that is selfish thinking and it is not the point. As a Christian it is my responsibility to take care of widows and orphans and as peculiar as it may sound that includes writing letters to my great-grandmom. The satisfying thing is I know she gets that same thrill I did (and still do) receiving a letter in the mail. You see, letter writing is not just simply sitting down to let grandma know that little Susie won the spelling bee. A letter means so much more. It means that someone cared enough to sit down and take precious time out of their day to let you know what was going on in their life. A letter lets someone know that they are important to you and gives them a glimpse into your life they may not have otherwise been privy to, as in the case of my great-grandmom.

Not only is letter writing a wonderful way to let someone know you care for them, it is also a written record of your history. Letters will tell the story of your life when you are no longer here to tell. My great-grandmom has letters from relatives who lived long ago and it is enlightening to read about the events and people that were of importance to them, even the mundane aspects of their lives. I have countless letters from my friends when I was young that I read now and just laugh and laugh at our shenanigans, halfway blushing about them. I have precious letters from my other great-grandmother who has passed away that I will be able to share with my own daughter one day. I won't have to rely solely on my memory to tell her about her great-great-grandmother. My daughter will be able to read her own words, see what her handwriting looked like, get a sense of how she talked, and even know what things were important to her that others might have forgotten, just because of the letters she wrote to me as a young child.

Letter writing is becoming a lost art form in today's fast paced world, but as I have shown you the benefits are priceless. Not only will you put a smile on someone's face now, you might put a smile on a relative's face one hundred years from now. You never know what kind of effect your writing may have on others. What is just a letter to you may be a small treasure to the recipient. Never underestimate the power of written words. Now, who feels like writing a letter?