Collecting Pen Pals
Collecting pen pals? How the heck do you do that? You start writing letters like crazy! Helen tells you about her collection below...
Looking for new pen friends? Click here to submit your pen friend ad -- and we'll deliver friendship to your mail box!
Pen Pal Ads here!
By Helen Jahnke, WI
Can Pen Pals be a collection? I started palling in 1952, we had like a weekly reader in Sunday school, it had a pals column. I've had many, many wonderful pen pals over the years, and started meeting pals when I was 19. I met a pal I started writing to in '54 or so. She lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. We got together often, her kids were the same age as ours. She developed cancer and died at 35 years old. I lost track of her daughter after awhile.
Another pal I started writing to in '54 lived in England. She died in her early forties; I still hear from her oldest daughter. I still have pals I started writing to in '56. I haven't counted all the pals I've met over the years, and I hope to meet more every year. I don't write to all that go to PPU's, etc., but we get together and have great times.
I collect pals! I add maybe one a year now. Some I never find out what happened to them, hopefully they are alive and well. I do have close to 100 pals, it is a great hobby and I pray I can keep writing to all for a long time yet. I hope to retire one day soon and have more time to devote to it. The days go so fast now that I can't keep up.Could be I'm moving slower too. Ha! Thanks to all my pals, I'm enjoying all.
Want to start your own Pen Pal Collection? Just submit your ad (left links at the top!)

|