Letter Writing

I am going to go through withdrawal now that the contest is over. I will miss getting fun mail everyday. I do receive a few real letters each week from friends or family, but not as much as I used to. I love getting real mail. Having two mail deliveries a day was a real treat, one at home and one at the PO Box. Do you write real letters? Funny how we all are thrilled to find vintage envelopes and letters from another time period. There is so much historical insight when reading old letters. I love the graceful handwriting, the simple addresses, the old postage. They are so personal. What will our generation's great granchildren have left of us in the way of correspondence. Some will be lucky to have the art journals of this peer group, but in general today's population corresponds electronically.

I always mean to write more letters than I do but the computer is so instant and so efficient and can be sent to multiple people at once. During our courtship (does anyone use that word anymore???), John and I lived 2300 miles apart. When we could not be together, we e-mailed each other long letters each day. Both of us printed them out and put them in binders to keep which is wonderful, but I don't do that with most of my other e-mails, so they re lost for good. Well, kind of. I suppose someone somewhere knows how to retrieve them no matter how well we think we deleted them.

I think it was Virginia Wolfe who said "I open a letter and feel myself loved". So true.
There was an old mail art slogan "Senders Receive".
My mom used to say "You have to send a letter to receive a letter".

There is a nice website maintained by Wendy Russ that has a section on letters, letter writng and other intimate discourses and some other related and interesting topics.

Comments

[TACE]

Getting a letter is a treat, but even an email is a treat if it's not just some forwarded thing. I do mail real letters fairly often, as in at least twice a month and more if I can remember to for my Grandma back home. Sometimes to my Mom as well (usually we just email)
My husband and I wrote real letters back and forth as well as emails and online chats before we met in person. It's true, typed is lovely but someone's own handwriting has that special quality, familiar, a glimpse of personality. Maybe in the future people won't recognize each other's hand writing, I know my Mom's when I see it, and my Dad's and my brother's...maybe no one will know mine....hahaha how ever much the idea of real hand writing appeals to me I can just go so much faster and with no cramped hands when I type :)

[Dot McQuade]

I think Tace's comment is so true about possibly not recognizing a loved ones hand writing because of the lack of letters. Way back in the 70s I used to write my grandmother at least once a week since I had moved away from home. I still have all the letters that she wrote to me.

I tend to pick up letters written by others too at antique malls when I'm lucky enough to find them. I have a group of letters that were written during WWII from the boyfriend to his girl. They are WONDERFUL!

My mother-in-law refuses to use the computer to this day... so I write to her. She feels like you do Ginny... that there is just nothing like a letter!

Thanks for bringing this up!
dot

[Terisa]

I have never done any Mail art...This is quite intriguing. I may need to start. Thank you for your blog of inspirtation!
Blessings,
Terisa

[Rachel Greig]

I found my first penpal when I was 7, and have enjoyed seeing 'real' letters in the mail ever since! There's nothing like receiving a letter in your hands :)

[chriss]

hi Ginny,
I know what you mean about getting real mail.. i host an ATC club and almost every day i receive little works of art dropping onto my hall mat..its like my birthday every week when i open the mail.
chriss x