Tag Archives: letter

Old Letters and Your Family Tree

By now we have learned the importance of a family tree. We know that a family tree is more than a list of names. Now, I want to share some of the significance of keeping old letters in addition to other papers with your family tree. I have decided to make a box dedicated to all of my paperwork related to my family tree. It is an ongoing project that I work on whenever I have the chance. In this box I have added all of the old letters that I have inherited from family members. I think it is … Continue reading →

The Art of the Letter

I’ve always been a big proponent of letter writing at home. There is nothing like getting a letter from a good friend in the mail, full of the happenings from someone far away. The anticipation of walking up the driveway to the mailbox is something special. Although it is now easier to keep in touch than it was back before the Internet, it is also harder, too. In a few minutes, I can send my thoughts across the miles to a good friend, and she can reply right back. But, something is lost there. In general, the missives are short … Continue reading →

Send A Letter to Santa Online

Kids today don’t have to bother writing out their letters by hand anymore. Nor do they need to seal and address an envelop or drop it into the mail. Santa is a modern guy and has a host of elves manning his web and e-mail station. Sometimes the big guy will get right back to you, but other times he just might be a bit busy to reply, although I am told that he reads every letter he gets. Here are some of the places you can go online to send and sometimes receive letters from Santa. Don’t forget to … Continue reading →

Imaginary Birthmother’s Letter, Part One

I tried to imagine what my daughter’s birthmother might say to her if we were in contact now. I wrote down a letter as if from her point of view, and then decided to write a more generic version for this blog. Details have been changed, since it’s really my daughter’s story and not mine. Again this is my imagination from what I know of the circumstances of some birthmothers. It is not based on any particular birthmother. The letter begins: Dear little daughter, I hope that you are well. It is very cold here. Soon the moon will be … Continue reading →

Dear Kyle

Dear Kyle, You’re away for the summer at your father’s house, and I’m thinking of you. I miss you. Your brother tells me you’ve been contentedly wandering and pacing the yard, as you like to do, smiling and thinking about all of your favorite things. Video games. Movies. I wonder sometimes if you think of me, your mother. I know that your mind leans heavily toward logic. Do you ever have longings? Do you ever have a sense that something is missing while you’re away? Do you have memories of times we’ve spent together, or are your thoughts primarily focused … Continue reading →

Old Complaints Get New Exposure

Have you ever written a letter of complaint to a company, newspaper, magazine, or politician? Did you get a response? If your letter had anything to do with a problem you experienced in New York decades ago, you may now find it displayed in an unusual museum (of sorts). Several Big Apple newspapers are reporting that a local artist recently discovered letters from citizens documenting their concerns to New York’s mayor. Or, I should say mayors, since the letters span several centuries-from 1751 to 1973. Matthew Bakkom combed the city’s archives to unearth the letters and is now displaying them … Continue reading →