Thanks for the inspiration Kat!
When I was in the third grade my teacher, Mrs. Miller taught us how to write a letter. And as part of the lesson, we had to choose someone for a 'pen pal'. Mine was my 'Aunt' Iris. I say 'Aunt' because she wasn't really my aunt. However she did live in Seattle (a requirement as our pen pals had to live in another state) and I had visited her the summer prior to third grade on a family vacation and I thought she was....well, groovy as we said in the olden days.
So, one week I would send her a letter and then the next I would receive one from her. The anticipation waiting for her letter would almost kill me! But the letters kept coming. Perhaps I should have explained that I was the fourth child of seven....yes, the dreaded MIDDLE CHILD! So having something that was MINE was very special. It was the one thing that I didn't have to share with anyone. I had this tangible thing....this letter that was meant only for me!
At the end of the school year, I received a package instead of a letter. Inside was a beautiful pen (to me anyway - it was gold and it had pearls on it) and some note cards with watercolor flowers on the front. The cards were only used for very special notes...I remember agonizing over using the very last one.
I think this was the beginning of my love affair with letters. I have many letters I have kept over the years. I love being able to touch the paper that my Nana touched and see her penmanship. One of my favorite things is a recipe my Aunt Julie sent to me before she died. Every time I make that bread I feel her right there with me.
I'm sad that the art of letter writing is all but gone. I type so much that my handwriting looks like hieroglyphics ....but I think this year I will sit down and hand write a special letter to the people I love....maybe I'll even dig up that gold pen with pearls.
So, one week I would send her a letter and then the next I would receive one from her. The anticipation waiting for her letter would almost kill me! But the letters kept coming. Perhaps I should have explained that I was the fourth child of seven....yes, the dreaded MIDDLE CHILD! So having something that was MINE was very special. It was the one thing that I didn't have to share with anyone. I had this tangible thing....this letter that was meant only for me!
At the end of the school year, I received a package instead of a letter. Inside was a beautiful pen (to me anyway - it was gold and it had pearls on it) and some note cards with watercolor flowers on the front. The cards were only used for very special notes...I remember agonizing over using the very last one.
I think this was the beginning of my love affair with letters. I have many letters I have kept over the years. I love being able to touch the paper that my Nana touched and see her penmanship. One of my favorite things is a recipe my Aunt Julie sent to me before she died. Every time I make that bread I feel her right there with me.
I'm sad that the art of letter writing is all but gone. I type so much that my handwriting looks like hieroglyphics ....but I think this year I will sit down and hand write a special letter to the people I love....maybe I'll even dig up that gold pen with pearls.