I received a letter in the post yesterday.
In a white envelope, with the most beautiful hand writing ever.
I grinned at the postmark, and tucked it into my bag.
Eventually, after hauling three children and their school bags and some groceries into the house; after dishing up some dinner, I retrieved the letter.
It had a satisfying weight and fullness to it, that envelope.
With a cup of tea, I kicked off my shoes, and settled down to open my letter and read it.
It was a delight. What a wonderful thing is a letter, capable of conveying across immense distance, a warm human hand.
From a friend who knows me well. From a girl I know well. We met nearly ten years ago and became close straight away. She has a very special place in my heart and a wonderful and amazing connection to my eldest daughter. She is one of the gentlest souls I have ever met. Just seeing her name, or a photo of her, and certainly reading a letter from her - her aura and her sense of peace shines through and makes me calm. And she is funny too. Craploads funny, with the language, at times of a navvy, which makes me laugh with comfort.
And she wrote me a letter. It made me cry, because it made me feel close to her. It made me miss her, it made me appreciate her and it made me remember her: really remember. That letter made me feel like she was in my kitchen with me for a little while. Email does not have that ability. It was lovely.
So this evening I am grateful for handwritten letters. Pages of scrawl, of news, of love and hopes.
And now I am off to write one back.
Do you send or receive handwritten letters these days?
Linking up, as I do, with Maxabella
I can't tell you how much I love letters. I keep them all, always have.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy writing a return one, it is also a lovely thing to do.
Letters are becoming a lost art these days. And yes - they are a tad exciting. I only seem to get personal ones at birthday time these days.
ReplyDeleteI make such an effort to handwrite letters and make cards. Email me your address, Lucy, and I'll write to you - Brownies' honour! J x
ReplyDeleteI love handwritten letters. The Bloke in The Shed's Dad is very big on sending handwritten letters, which are so lovely to receive. I need to get in the habit of sending more myself though, I think.
ReplyDeletePS. Love being able to ``hear'' your voice as I read this! Really enjoyed meeting you this week. xx
you write about beautiful things :)
ReplyDeleteHmm..not letters but postcards yes! It's so lovely.. :)
ReplyDeletePeople just email nowadays - boring :/
I still write letters occasionally. I used to write them ALL the time - to my grandmothers, favorite aunts, friends....
ReplyDeleteNow it's mostly emails & Facebook messages, but I do have one friend that I regularly exchange "snail mails" with. It is a much nicer means of communicating! I also exchange handwritten notes with my sister-in-law. It's just fun! And we try to outdo each other with the prettiest, cutest note cards! :-)
Handwritten letters or cards are just so lovely and I miss them since email/instant messaging hit the scene. I think that's what makes them even more special and valuable now. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI love the written word! I think we too often communicate electronically. I actually recently wrote about it, not as well as you though.
ReplyDeletehttp://floridagirlinoklahoma.blogspot.com/2011/11/written-word.html
I love letters as well and keep them all - things often get expressed in written form that we fear saying out loud or feel awkward about.
ReplyDeleteDeb @ home life simplified
That is just beautiful. There is nothing better than the time, effort and love that goes into a 'real' letter. x
ReplyDeleteI used to be a penpal to lots of people, but as I grew older, they dropped off. My Grandmother I think was the last person I had a letter from, and she died in 94!
ReplyDeleteI have become soooo slack at letter writing since I took up blogging. I used to be much better. Sending a little handmade postcard randomly was my 'thing', but I haven't done it for over a year.
ReplyDeleteSlap on the hand to me. Your post has inspired me to get postcarding again! x
I used to love writing and receiving letters. When I moved away in high school, a few friends used to send me semi-regular 'newsletters' that I still love to read back over.
ReplyDeleteHaven't written or received a letter in years. e-mail is not quite the same, is it?
I make a huge effort to post birthday cards to all in my family including nieces and nephews and their children also for anniversaries. I feel especially proud when it is mentioned at family gatherings how special it meant to them when they receive them. I can imagine that with social media and emails very few hand written letters are sent these days. I am so glad you enjoy receiving them. By the way mentioned your blog here http://adaywithspecialk.blogspot.com/2011/11/special-accolade.html I so love reading and spending time over at your place thought I would share with others I know. Cheers SpecialK XoXo
ReplyDeletei love letters, theyre amazing, and they have something to them that email and facebook and technology just about anything these days.
ReplyDeleteits so exciting to get the mail and have a letter addressed to you. the feeling is inexplicable.
i wish i had a penpal..
i write with my cousin across the country. and i just wrote a letter each to 2 of my friends, which i fully intend on sending tomorrow, even though they live within 25 minutes of me =P
Such a sweet post. When I moved from Arkansas at age 14, my best friend and I wrote letters to each other. Sad to say that's probably the last time I ever wrote or received a handwritten letter. Many many years ago. I miss it. And I miss her. Today's technology is great for communicating, however it's much less personal.
ReplyDeleteOh I do envy you a real letter! I hardly any get any at all these days - only bills! I do send the odd one, and the occasional aerogram to my old pal Rosie... who never replies!
ReplyDeleteOne childhood memory that lingers with me the most is the excitement of going to the letterbox, wondering if there would be a deliciously thick letter from a pen pal waiting for me.
ReplyDeleteTo this day I still find myself with a magnetic pull towards the mailbox, and subconscious thrill, even though its always bills... But just cant let that feeling go, of how damn good it was getting something in the post...
I miss receiving handwritten letters in the mail. Our letterbox is reserved only for bills these days...
ReplyDeleteBut on the odd occasion, a wedding invitation or a birthday card.
Such a treat! So glad you savoured the letter with a cuppa! xx
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