Clear packing tape holds warped lids in place on two plastic bins in our home office. The boxes stored plates, cups and assorted snacks in my 1995 college dorm room. Now, they keep handwritten notes, cards and letters, hundreds of them reaching back to my middle and high school days. The ink is fading and some of the paper has turned but the memories kept inside are vivid.
Among the mix of white and brightly-colored envelopes there are several with a return address marked Grand Bay, Alabama, from my loyal, long ago pen pal, Pam. We met in New Orleans in 1990 at a New Kids on the Block concert. As soon as we returned to our respective homes -roughly 300 miles apart – we began to exchange letters. Our stories stretched for pages, filling envelopes to their limit and occasionally requiring tape to keep them closed. We decorated those paper pouches with such color that a 64-count Crayola crayon box looked downright bland. I couldn’t wait for my daddy to come home from the coal mines carrying the letters he picked up from our post office box to see if one was for me. Pam’s letters, and the ones I wrote to her, became the best part of my summers.
In the spring of 2020, our school switched to virtual learning and Lily began to miss her best friend, Brooke. For fun (and maybe to give her something to do) I suggested she write Brooke a letter. Lily meticulously penciled a message to Brooke using her very best handwriting. I taught her how to address the envelope and the next morning she marched it to the mailbox. My heart couldn’t help but smile as I remembered my own love for letter-writing and the joy I felt whenever my pen pal replied.
As I searched for a way to make letter-writing a relevant 2022 summertime activity (Isn’t Facetime faster? Email easier?) I came across this quote by author Sara Sheridan:
“To me, reading through old letters and journals is like treasure hunting. Somewhere in those faded, handwritten lines there is a story that has been packed away in a dusty old box for years.”
Pam’s letters are a part of my story. They are a reflection of a friendship and a space in time I might have long forgotten without handwritten words to remind me. Letters may seem an antiquated way to keep in touch but they capture our life in ways technology cannot, with heartfelt expression that no emoji can communicate. Nothing compares to a handwritten letter, signed, sealed and delivered the old-fashioned (summer) way.
There is a simple sentiment penned post-script in many of the cards I’ve kept through the years. It is a bible verse written by Paul to believers in the city of Philippi:
“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you.” – Philippians 1:3
Paul’s words here are not especially profound… except they are. He sets an example for us not just through his faith and leadership but in the affection he communicates using only a few words.
Summer with it’s slower pace is the perfect time to take a moment as Paul did and give thanks to God for special people in your life. Then, take another moment to tell your special people, too. It takes only a few minutes and words to make a difference in someone’s life, one that may carry through generations.
Here are a few tricks to help excite your kids (and maybe yourself!) about writing letters:
- Look for fun stationery at a nearby dollar store.
- Let your kids choose stickers to decorate the envelope
- Buy them their own sheet of stamps. There are a lot of designs to pick from at the post office.
- Gather at the kitchen table and encourage every family member to write a letter. (This is also a great time to teach your kids how to address an envelope.)
If you don’t have time to shop, a piece of notebook paper and a pencil from their backpack works just as well. Remember what really matters, and that is the words themselves.
Happy writing!
