Long Lost Letters

When is the last time I have sat down to compose a long letter and instead of pressing "Send" on the keyboard, I licked the envelope, addressed it, stamped it and sent it on its way? A card or note may have recently passed through my fingers, but it has been a terribly long time since I have sent a letter. It is bittersweet how the busyness of our culture and the instant gratifying appeal of technology reigns these days. Letters just aren't quick enough and that is a travesty. Future generations won't have a treasure of letters as a way of linking to their past. For me, having a file on a computer that is full of e-mail correspondences just isn't as charming. I am thankful for the letters I have saved through the years and I regret some of the ones I threw away. When my dad passed away I received a box of his letters that he wrote when he was in the Army. They were all to family members and the fact that they were saved all these years and I can still enjoy them warms me. It gives me a slight glimpse at the young man he was. There were also some letters written by my mother when she was pregnant with me. How neat to know that I was so much a part of their world even before I was born.

When I was a teenager I asked my grandfather to make me a wooden box to hold my treasured letters. At that point I had no idea I would have such an important collection. But I look forward to passing them down one day to my daughters as an insight into their past. For now, I write my girls an annual letter on their birthday which they will be given when they are much older. I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to putting pen to paper. Who knows, by the time my girls are adults they may feel nostalgic about my blog as a means of communication. As Bob Dylan sang, "the times, they are a-changing".