The Art of Writing a Letter

I’ve had several comments lately about the fact that I write letters each week. And I mean actual handwritten letters sent in an envelope thru the postal service, not typed emails or short little texts over the phone.

It’s really not that big of a deal; I just love to write, and have several friends that enjoy receiving my letters. I’ve even gone so far as to make my own cards now instead of buying them like I used to. In fact, I’m now making my own envelopes even.

I wonder if I could make my own stamps… wouldn’t that be something!

Anyway, it all started back about 20 years ago when my Grandmother moved to Montana. She got set up in a nice little apartment that was close to my Uncle. It was just a one bedroom; big enough that she could live comfortably, and have guests over for tea occasionally – but still small enough that keeping it clean didn’t overwhelm her. It was in a fair sized complex that had a nice courtyard she could sit outside in the sun and socialize with the other residents.

One of her favorite things to do was walk down to the mailbox: she got to take some fresh air, chat with the neighbors along the way, and get a little bit of exercise each day.

Back then, I was buying cards. I would look for ones that had pretty pictures on the front, perhaps of flowers or animals. I would write about my day, how the family was doing, the things I’d done at the zoo that week, any interesting tidbits of news I’d heard – just little things like that.

She would take that card and show it to everybody she came into contact with that week. She’d display it on the table in her apartment, and even take it to the neighbor’s to have them read it. Believe me; those cards got a lot of mileage!

Grandmother has passed away now, but I still enjoy writing. I have two nieces in college that are on my mailing list. I have several friends spread out over the globe that get letters from me. I try to send everybody a birthday card, but am not quite as diligent as I used to be about that.

My only complaint would be that I don’t received nearly as many as I write. I suppose that’s why I have email and a phone!