The Lost Art of Letter Writing

Is the art of letter writing as faded as the paper it isn’t written on? With instant messaging, email, texting and other newer forms of communication, we find letter writing (written personal correspondence) to be on a downward spiral.

Have you ever had the experience of finding an old love letter as you rummaged through a relative’s storage boxes? It feels like you have uncovered a personal, very meaningful, beloved, part of both people – the writer and the recipient. A secret. A special “rare find” belonging to history. Your hands are touching this cherished item they held in their own hands. Perhaps you have your own saved letters in a place near and dear to you.

What a personal touch a letter is. It’s not only the feelings, surroundings, news or experiences it portrays, it’s the authors’ handwriting, stationary and mode of sharing that capture the essence of the experience. It is quite personal. The author is sharing themselves with you. For the sake of history, it’s even fascinating to see the amount of postage used (when finding this rare find from years past), kind of stamp, and noticing the city and date of the postmark.

The written letter or note is easy to compose and has many reasons why it was sent. All of us have received a personal letter or note at some time. It's meant to be read and reread.  It brings the author to us. It enters our home, our space, and even our hearts.

Notes and letters aren’t the only kinds of correspondence. There are invitations, responses, holiday wishes, special celebration wishes (birthday, anniversaries, retirement, etc.), condolence letters, apologies, a thank you, to name a few. All usually require an acknowledgement. As etiquette would have it, it is just plain good manners to acknowledge you have received this personal contact. After all, you were sent something because someone was thinking of you, cared about you and obviously wanted you to know!

Does written correspondence take time? Yes. It takes thought and effort. Things that are meaningful do. Preparation? Yes. One needs to have a writing implement, paper, envelope, stamp, the recipient's current postal address and the letter must be deposited in a Post Box.  This is a task of determination. When composing, one must sit and think, reflect and arrange their thoughts before writing. It’s necessary to have proper spelling, English and formation of sentences. This is a task of implied commitment. It is a task of devotion.

Sound intriguing? Try it – it takes writing a letter to receive a letter! Finding a personal letter in your mailbox among the bills and junk mail is an uplifting experience. You want to run into the house and read it – or open it right there by the mailbox. Letters have been know to have that effect on us!

Quotes:

“The best time to frame an answer to the letters of a friend, is the moment you receive them. Then the warmth of friendship, and the intelligence received, most forcibly cooperate.”  ~  William Shenstone

"What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand-clasp." ~ Author Unknown



“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.”  ~  Liz Carpenter

"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."  ~ Phyllis Theroux

“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.”  ~  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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