In Praise of Paper Letters

The letters continued daily. It didn't take long to realize that their relationship was growing into something rare and special.

Their whirlwind courtship led to a marriage that lasted 58 years until death parted them. Although they experienced occasional struggles in their marriage that no young couple could ever anticipate, the hopes and dreams they shared in those early letters did come true, including six "babies" who now range in age from 61 to 48.

I knew them well; I'm their daughter.

My parents' letters are more valuable than anything money could buy. I'm so glad they saved every last one, bundled with rubberbands, in the order in which they wrote them. Reading them has been like watching someone paint a striking panorama of their lives.

Now that they're gone, I know their full story, beginning to end, in beautiful detail. I even have greeting cards they exchanged throughout their married life, including some lovely vintage Valentine's Day cards.

Several months ago, I received an email from someone I hadn't heard from in many years. I used to receive snail mail from Lisa every so often--paper updates that were fun to read. Although I hadn't seen her in almost 20 years, her letters kept me posted on how life was treating her. Through her words, I saw her change from a first-grader into a busy teenager.

Then the letters stopped.

I always hoped to hear from her again, but every search led me to a dead end. I had given up on ever finding her.

One day, many years later, I received an email from someone named Lisa, who had been hunting for me. I wrote about it at my "Macromoments" blog. Read "The Girl Next Door".

We encourage children to write thank-you notes. Why not letters, too?

When my kids were in early elementary grades, we lived overseas, far from grandparents. Once a month they'd write a newsy letter. We'd send the letters in a big brown envelope, so we could include special items they wanted to share: a school story, poem, or a picture they drew, for example.

It was one way to deepen the relationship between them and their grandparents, and they looked forward to the day the mail arrived with a reply. Letters are important, especially when family doesn't live closeby. Have you thought about sitting down and helping your child create a special correspondence to send? There's something magical about sealing an envelope and stamping it, then sending it off to be delivered. You might even say that letter-writing is the new email.

When my father passed away in 2006, it ended a huge chapter of my life. Both my parents were gone now, and in a way, it felt as though the six of us were orphans. Of course that's not the case, but it's a common reaction to suddenly being without parents.

Ada was a special lady in the lives of us all. She took time to write a comforting note, and it meant all the more to us because she had played such a key role in our childhood years. Read more about it here...

"Sunburst" image ©Bonnie Bruno 2008