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 and to the point. They are filled with necessary information, such as “Going to head out now,” or “Happy birthday,” or “Have you checked out this latest blog?” There is no heavy anticipation of getting a long letter. There is no setting time aside to find a quite spot to read or write a letter. More often than not, I e-mail while I am in the middle of doing other things, from cooking dinner to talking on the phone!
A letter harks back to a more romantic time. Think about how letters are a central part of plot in the Jane Austen novels. Love letters can travel not only the miles but also the decades and even the centuries. I can’t imagine anyone pulling out an e-mail ten years down the road and holding it lovingly to a breast and sighing. I can’t image one being pasted into a scrapbook for generations to come.
Beside e-mail, letter writing has been replaced by blog writing. People keep in touch with friends and even strangers through the writing of their blogs. And while comments are often allowed, there isn’t enough space to answer them back fully.
The U.S. Postal system is teaming up with HBO to promote letter writing. This campaign is in honor of John Adams and the more than 1,000 letters he and his wife wrote back and forth to each other. As part of the promotion, you can customize a real card, and the post office will pay the postage both ways: one to mail the customized card to you and one for you to mail it on to someone else. Click here to learn more: http://www.poweroftheletter.com/
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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