Treasure In The Mail

Look at the treasure I found in our mailbox today. Letters, hand written letters ! Two letters were written to me by two of our granddaughters. I am their pen-pal and I love receiving their letters, but probably not near as much as they love receiving mine. ( I hope.) Another was a sweet thank-you from a beloved aunt and uncle. The 4th letter was from a cousin I've just begun an acquaintance with and she WRITES letters and sends interesting and informative e-mails about what is going on in her life. ( What I'd hoped e-mails would really be when I first began to go on-line.)

Writing letters used to be a big part of my life. Our mother had me and my 3 sisters writing regularly to our father when he was stationed over-seas in Vietnam (courtesy of the U.S. Army) and our many relatives scattered far and wide. Looking back on the part letter writing played in my family's life I see both my parents were conscientious letter writers and my father wrote many letters state-side too, keeping in touch with relatives, friends, writing letters to the editor of the local paper, and he always wrote special words of encouragement to our children in their birthday cards. All the letters and birthday cards he wrote to us are cherished to this day though he's been gone from this earth for many years.

For years after my husband and I were married I kept up a regular correspondence with my husband's great-aunts . I did not realize until they passed away that there were very few people who wrote letters to us left in this world. We were told if we would join the modern age ( actual words from family) and get e-mail we would hear more from our family and friends but that proved untrue. We got a lot of  forwards and just plain spam, but no real letters. With facebook now the current mode of keeping in touch we appreciate pictures of relatives far and wide and the ability to connect with them instantly, but even this is to me a pale comparison to a simple hand written letter. ( And don't get me started on facebook being the only way many people send out invitations and thank-yous for very important celebrations.) A hand-written letter or invitation shows the person (s) sending it took a small bit of time to personally write to me. A letter had to be written, an envelope had to be addressed, a stamp purchased, and after affixing the stamp to the envelope containing the letter or invitation, it had to be mailed. Not a lot of effort, but effort that shows someone cared enough . Someone cared enough to send treasure in the mail.

" It seems a long time since the morning mail could be called correspondence." Jacques Barzun

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company." Lord Byron

"What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't re-read a phone call." Liz Carpenter

Why Do I Blog ?

Miss Marple checks out the blog .

A friend recently asked me why I blog....I had to think about this for awhile. The real answer is I love to write letters, and this seems to be the way to write letter now a days.

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company."
Lord Byron

Isn't that true ? Even more so with blogging. I can write and post a blog (letter) any time I am home and my computer is functioning and send it out by touching my keyboard. My e-letter goes all over the world and some people actually read it ! Sometimes they respond..oh joy ! This is like having pen pals, only I do not need to go to the post office to send and receive letters.

I used to write a LOT of letters. I was an Army brat and we wrote letters all the time. My mother was very good at keeping in touch with our Father who did 2 tours in Vietnam, plus keeping in touch with all the friends and family we had moved away from,courtesy of the U.S. Army. I also had pen pals.

When I married, I still kept in touch with my friends living in other states. I wrote all my relatives and Hubby's relatives. I enjoyed writing all these people and they wrote letters back to me. They wrote about themselves, their families, their dreams, etc., I love writing letters and sometimes felt guilty about time spent writing letters because I enjoyed it !

Our daughter spent 6 months in Australia and she wrote us regularly, and we wrote her back. This was before we had e-mail, and the phone was way too expensive a means of communication.......and I loved those letters. I cherish those letters. Our daughter is gifted in communication, especially written communication. Her letters would have us laughing and feeling good after we read them. If the phone had been our basic means of communication I am not sure we would have received as much pleasure from it. And we cannot share the phone call with the extended family who was interested in our daughter...sure, we could convey the gist of the call, but her words ? Her real take on life there , way across the globe ?

Over the years our letter writing relatives died of old age. The family and friends we try to keep in touch with do not seem to write letters. I hate the phone and consider it a necessary evil and appreciate the availability the phone affords...but not as the best way of communication. I like one to one , face to face interaction.....and I like to read heart felt letters. Our friends and family kept telling us if we joined the 'modern age' of technology we could e-mail. We could keep in touch...yeah, right ! I am sorry, but forwards are not communication and keeping in touch. Sure, some are funny, and I enjoy forwards (well, some of them) but they are NOT keeping in touch, communicating, interacting....we joined the 'modern age' and many of our friends and family are still not really in touch. They don't communicate via e-mail, or letter writing..or by phone for that matter.

All this background to say, I blog to write letters for my family, friends, and possible pen pals around the world! I want my blog to be uplifting, informative, eclectic, and fun. I want my grandchildren and family and friends to be able to read my blog and see what's going on...and I want to blog in such a way that I need never be ashamed of what I say. My faith is my life. My faith (Christian) cannot be separated from any part of my life. My (and Hubby's) view is never separate from our faith....Jesus is Lord !

"Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting; to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labors in which he toils under the sun during the few years of life which God has given him; for this is his reward." Ecclesiastes 5:18

"The age of technology has both revived the use of writing and provided ever more reasons for it's spiritual solace. E-mails are letters, after all, more lasting than phone calls, even if many of them R cursory 4 U. " Anna Quindlan