Snail Mail

When I was a little girl, I wrote a lot of mail.  Snail mail.  My Grandparents, my Cousins, my Friends, and when I was spending my summers in Texas, my Parents, Sister, and the Besties.

I remember in grade school getting to write Pen Pals at another school far away.  Our Teacher taught us how to write a letter.  What an opportunity.  How fortunate was I?  How sad this is no longer taught.  Do you remember the "rules?"  Date... Salutation...Body... Closing... Signature. 

In Middle School, I was notorious for note writing.  Once, a Teacher took one of my notes, read it out loud to my classmates, exposing my crush, and embarrassing me nearly to death. 
That did not stop me.
I was just more careful.. Writing (sometimes in code or with initials) passing the notes, and reading those from friends.  It became an art itself.  I still have many silly and precious notes from my Bestie. We have had a wonderful times reading over them so many years later... a good keep.
It tickles me to see Deliver De Letter De Sooner De Better... Or Sealed with a Kiss to Make it Stick.
Think of yesterday, when we did not have instant gratification of email, texting, and social media.  Even the phone calls.  Why when I was in college I was lucky to get to talk to my Mom once a week.  On a Dorm phone shared with 3 other girls. Nearly impossible to talk to a Bestie privately. To pour our hearts out, we had to depend on snail mail... knowing it would take three days to get to someone and three days to get a return letter. But so worth it.  Seeing that familiar handwriting, and knowing there is wisdom, humor and love within the letter!
I recently challenge myself to get back into writing snail mail.  I decided to send 52 letters in 52 weeks. It's going quite well. Actually, it is going splendid.  I did not realize the smiles it would deliver, yet alone the letters I would receive back.  Many friends have been motivated to join me in bringing this almost lost art back.  Do you remember the joy you would get seeing a letter to you in the mailbox?  Much like Christmas cards, another dying practice (please don't get me started about these Christmas email group messages).  I really want to hear from loved ones and I will take what I can get, but, I so prefer a personal letter of card.  I love the pictures and I enjoy the Christmas newsletters.
With some rather time consuming (and emotional) derailments that have hit, I am a tad behind but am not going to let this stop me. I am so back on it and writing my little fingers off.  I love hunting down stationary (not an easy task!  I am actually having to make some). I have been selecting friends that I need to get in touch with as well as those I do talk to on a regular basis.  I am finding that telling someone how much I appreciate them and how special they have been to me, is very gratifying.  How often we forget to tell those we love, thank you.  This has been a wonderful wya for me to express just that.
Yep. Letter writing.
The Lost Art has found it's way back to me. Good old fashion hand written letters from my heart♥

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D-Liver D-Letter D-Sooner D-Better!

For those of you of my generation and before, you know that little saying on my title.  You may have written it on an envelope to be mailed as well. Or maybe you wrote: SWAK (Sealed with a Kiss). OR  Sorry So Sloppy, Longer Letter Later... I guess our own version of the texting versions of shortcuts & codes.

As Monday arrived, I knew I must tackle at least one of my many projects that have been waiting patiently.  I chose to work on Photo Organizing... Yes, yes.  I know I get so caught up in the memories, good & bad.  It is a task that always takes me days as I will get side tracked and I am off doing something else such as today, under-covering some long lost photos that BEGGED to be posted on FaceBook.  So, 2 hours later after scanning, tagging, and writing descriptions, I got my 40-some photos up. 

That wasn't the only treasure I found.
I found a shoebox stuffed with letters. From the Besties, parents, and Grandparents, written  1977-1981. That is part of High School, and my one year at Vincennes University.

big sigh...

Wow.  Talk about some memories. I only opened a few.  They brought tears to my eyes.  Sometimes I forget how things really were. Some things not so important, turn out to be pretty important.  There are so pretty heavy (in a good way) things that were brought to me.  I was truly loved by my friends. And my family.
Looks like I was missed when not around.

Most of you know that I spent my summers living in Texas with my Grandparents, during my teen years.  It turned out to be the best thing that could ever happen to me and I am extremely grateful that I had those wonderful summers.  They were AMAZING.  And what I got from my Grandparents few ever get to experience.  I was truly Blessed.

The letters that I received, saved and found in this box, show some love from those that missed me. As a teen, I was also kept up on the teen drama & gossip.  Some stuff that may not have been written about was in these letters. Remember Young'ens we didn't have cell phones let alone texting & emailing opportunities. 
Rarely did you call long distance... Lord knows we "Thought" that was so expensive! So we would write letters, and wait a week to get one back.  But we wrote back and forth all the time.  Then when we went off to college, we wrote each other back & forth, back & forth.

I have some reading to catch up on tonight.  Hopefully, they will be full of the good stuff and not open up some wounds... I'm hoping anyway.

I really need to start writing letters again.  It is becoming such a lost art.

I think I will sign off for now and write two brave young nephews that are in Boot Camps right now.  That's what I need to do.

The photographs spilled out on the tables, and the letters on the floor, can wait. 

I need to write.

forever friends

I was searching for photos of recitals to go with the earlier blog (obviously never found them). Instead I found a box stuffed with letters from my Besties and others written in the late '70's and early 80's.

Some were from school, written during boring classes. Some while I spent summers in Texas. Finally, the college ones. I have been laughing for an hour. We wrote about the stupidest stuff. I love it! I love that I kept them.

The majority of them are written from Sheri. She loved to write and did so often. Deb & I always got more from her than we gave to her. It was and is her passion.

We wrote silly little messages and drawings at the end and on the envelopes. We also wrote the corniest stuff about our one true love (for that week anyway). We wrote of our hopes and dreams. We wrote to encourage and to protect each other.

I am so Blessed! We still have those strong bonds, but now they are sealed in a stronger force that only comes from 30 plus years of friendship. Today I talked to both Sher & Deb. We try to talk, text or email at least daily. We pray for each other. We will always be there for each other. I know they are there ready to sing the Ant Song or be there for me regardless to if I needed to share a laugh or a tear.

My friend is someone who takes me for who I am.
~Henry David Thoureu