The Mail

When was the last time you wrote a letter? The one where you use a pen, paper and a stamp? A letter to tell friends and family about the kids or how hot it is? I am sure I am one of the last to give this up. I am the one who continues to write a Christmas letter to tell about our last year when, now because of Face Book all the people I once sent them too, pretty much know everything I'm doing. It has been well over a decade that that I took a pen and literally wrote a message on a Christmas card.

I love the handwritten messages I get on a Christmas card. I, too love the the pictures of your family and the thought it took to create a computer generated letter. In the past 15 years with my computer I have created some great things and left the handwritting behind. When my best grades were for my penmanship.

I think of my special box in the attic with love letters from my Husband, notes from my Nana and the first card my Dad ever sent me.

I think of the letters written to and saved of my late Mother-In-Law and Grandmother. It is amazing to me that 75 years ago you could write a person's name on a envelope, street address and a city and it would get to them.

I think of the women whose husbands went off to war and their only communication with them was the letter. I thank God that our war brides can now talk to their spouses each day through phone, texting or skype.

I treasure the handwritten notes and hope that they don't become a lost art. If any of my loved ones lived far away I would be thankful to hear their voice, read their words and see their face. In my life time, it cost extra to make a phone call to someone 30 miles away. A letter sent hundreds of miles might have taken two weeks to get there.

I hope that the literal written word will never die, but so happy about all the options I have to stay in touch.