Memories of Letters

Marge shares her memories of letter writing with you...

by Marge Sallee, KS

One Sunday morning I tuned in to PBS to watch a favorite TV show. I was a bit early and caught the end of a children's program. A little girl was talking about how wonderful letters are. "You send a letter to someone to tell them how you are doing. Then the mailman takes it to them, and they write back and tell you how they are doing." That is it, in a nutshell, isn't it?

I really don't remember when I first thought about writing a letter. But I was a very young child when I realized how much joy the mailman delivered to our door daily. The adults in the family were always excited to pick up a special envelope with a letter from a close relative or a friend. The world didn't operate on long distance phone calls or e-mail in those days. I marveled how adults knew who wrote the letter before they even opened the envelope.

They shared the letters they received with those they loved. Some times they read parts out loud so even the children knew what the writer had to say. Other times they passed that wonderful letter around. Some letters were even more special if they contained snap shots. My mother was given to saving special letters under a dresser drawer where they would be safe, but she could retrieve them to read again later.

Then I learned to send cards and notes myself. What a pleasure to think of a special person who might be thrilled to hear from me. I had a child's penmanship when I started to write to pen pals, and now I have a mature writing style. I have always felt a letter was just about the most wonderful thing in the world. When I was a little bit older, I wrote love letters to one special person. Now I send notes and cards to my grandchildren who are just learning to appreciate what mail means to them.

Letters are suitable for anyone -- the young and old alike. We often say more in a letter than we would speak in person. Letters bring good news about jobs, scholarships, and relationships. They bring marriage proposals and birth announcements. They can speak of our love, our grief, our aspirations. They carry a note of authority since a letter lasts longer than a spoken word. How many of us have read a letter over and over again because it was so special to us.

Since Inky Trails is celebrating 10 years of promoting letter writing in this issue, we want to encourage all of our readers to remember just how special letters can be. Then you might want to sit down and write a letter to someone special today.

NOTE: Inky Trail News is now 15 years old in 2007! Yeah!