LETTERS, LETTERS!

I know I have broken my commitment to blog everyday but sometimes life happens.  And that’s what I’ve been doing lately, tending to life.  But I’m back in the saddle, umm, chair and writing and blogging and tweeting, etc.

I need to briefly return to the subject of letters, one more time. Now you may be figuring out that this will be a reoccurring theme. But after my last post about letters, I received this email from writer, blogger and letter writer, Stephanie Garrett, and wanted to share it with you.

Wow! Every time the voices of doubt try to gain a foothold in my brain, someone writes or post something that spurs me forward. While I am by no means an accomplished writer, there are thoughts and stories within me that are screaming for release. Because of being overcome by tax returns and financial aid submissions I have not blogged in the past couple of days. Just as I’m wondering “does it really matter if I post today?” I find your posts about letters!

Letter writing is one of the most rewarding tasks I do each week, both in sending and receiving. I actually blogged about letters on February 2nd.

I started writing letters on a regular basis after reading “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” Regular written correspondence with my husband’s 82 year old aunt has brought us even closer in a relationship that is more mother/daughter than aunt/niece-in-law. She no longer cares to receive by-monthly phone calls, she is waiting for her letter. I average two a week to her. She returns two a month to me. Should I fall behind in my schedule to her, I am quickly called to task by her son who has picked up how important this communication is for her.

Thank you for the book suggestions and may we never forget that there is always someone in cyber-space who needs to read what we have to say.

I read this comment and picked up my pen and wrote one of my dear friends a nice, long letter. Thank you Stephanie for spurring me forward!

Posted February 22, 2010 at 9:37 am · 3 comments · Leave a Comment

Comments

  1. bermudaonion (Kathy), February 22nd, 2010, 11:08 am

    How true! Email is wonderful, but there's nothing like getting a letter in the mail!

  2. Leyda, February 22nd, 2010, 12:33 pm

    Susan,I love inspirational moments like that, I think letter writing brings with it a message but most of all evokes a wonderful nostalgic emotion that can only come with receiving a letter.

  3. karen miller, February 22nd, 2010, 9:47 pm

    One of my concerns for my children's generation is their lack of appreciation for letter writing. (Or communicating face-to-face for that matter!) All of their correspondence involves a technological instrument. My Dad, who is 86, has all of the letters he wrote to his parents while he was in the Navy. The letters reveal who he was as a young adult in his early twenties. His letters were long and elaborate and we have spent time going back and reading them which has been such a pleasure. He has other letters sent later in his life and he now wants to compile his memoirs based largely on the gifts of his letter writing. There is something so intriguing about the written word...the nuances of particular handwriting being one of the most important. I think I will write someone a letter tonight!!

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Susan Gregg Gilmore