Here’s what I received in the mail yesterday: catalogs from Crate & Barrel and L.L.Bean and a coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The day before that it was grocery store circulars, something from American Express, and a postcard from Lucky Brand jeans. In all, a whole lot of nothing. If the U.S. Postal Service is going to cut back on its delivery days, that’s fine by me.
(Insert wistful sigh . . . )
I love both sending and receiving letters in the mail. But with cell phone use, e-mail, text messages, IM, Facebook, and so on, I fear the days of sitting down to pen a letter are long gone. Even when we do “care enough to send the very best” usually that means just picking out something with a canned sentiment and just jotting our name to the inside. Does that make you sad? It makes me very sad.
In my bedroom closet, I have boxes full of letters and cards that I’ve received over the years. Each one a snapshot of how our lives converged. Each one a bit of history. In my old-fashioned opinion, an online folder full of e-mails simply doesn’t make the grade. There’s just something about having the paper in hand, words inked, that gives the message a greater sense of value. It’s why I can’t send a card without adding my own touch. It’s why I have a drawer full of stationery.
While watching all of the news coverage on the late Senator Ted Kennedy, I was pleased to learn that he too was an avid letter writer. From notes of congratulations to the coaches of Boston’s sports teams to annual letters of condolence to Massachusetts’ families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks–and much more–here was a man who understood that well-chosen words are a lasting gift.
It need not be a whole “Dear so and so” type of letter with paragraphs. Even just a personalized sentence or two inside a store-bought card is meaningful. Or a postcard. Heck, even a Post-It note can be special. Just as long as they’re your own words.
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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less (fleeting, electronic correspondence) really is more. Though, on occasion, I’ve been known to send a few of these delightfully sarcastic e-cards. (Image courtesy of Timothy Lloyd via Creative Commons.)
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