Letter Writing

We are such a technological society, especially in the way we communicate with each other.  Emailing and texting has become a common way of life for so many people, especially our teenagers.  And we all know how much time people spend on their cell phones chatting away while they drive to and from work, run errands, shop for groceries, even eat a meal at a restaurant. 

Facebook is a whole other thing unto itself and you can post pictures and share things with friends and family far and wide that they otherwise would miss.  I think it is a great way to stay connected and share with each other.

The art of letter writing seems to have taken a pretty serious hit these days and I’m sure the post office would heartily agree.  I still write to loved ones and I would like to focus on writing more often.  Even though I could email them or pick up the phone a letter is a little more special.  It didn’t used to be, but it sure is becoming that way. 

I’m always excited when I get my mail and find between the junk mail a letter from my aunt in Arizona.  We write back and forth on a regular basis.  She doesn’t have email and isn’t into the whole computer thing so this is what we do between visits.  We are pen pals. 

My grandfather lives in Florida and doesn’t even own a computer, doesn’t want too.  So in between phone calls I like to send him a letter or a card to let him know we are thinking of him. 

I love to make my own note cards, greeting cards, thank you notes, mailing labels and stationery.  It makes for a nice relaxing project and I never have to rush to the store to pick up a card when a birthday or special event rolls around.  I think handmade is always better than store bought. 

I encourage my children to write letters.  I read an article once online that had taken a survey of students at a high school showing 90% had never written a letter to anyone (excluding Santa).  It really surprised me. 

Our U.S. Postal Service is teetering on some pretty shaky ground.  Technology has severely impacted their revenue because you can pay bills and communicate online.  Yet we still need our mailman.  We still rely on the postal service. 

Can you imagine the positive impact to the postal service if everyone in the United States wrote just one letter this year?  What if they wrote two?  Something to think about. 

I encourage you to write a few letters, send some note cards, mail out your thank you cards and birthday wishes.  Send a card to your best friend.  Encourage your children to write to grandma and grandpa too.  Nothing is more special than a note from your grandchildren.