Wonderment of Pen Friends

by Phyllis Snook
(Middleburg, PA (USA))

I am always happy when I take the long walk down my country driveway, cross the road and find a pen pals letter waiting for me in the box. When you live in the country and have no children nor neighbors to converse with pen pals are ways of staying alive with the world. I have one pen pal in particular whom I am very, very close with and we even call each other on the phone from time to time. I have another pal who lives in a different state whom I've seen twice already. Nothing can compare to being close with a pal....someone you can laugh with, share your life with, shed a tear with.

I type my letters to spare the eyesight of all of my pals and they all seem to appreciate it. Before I take on a new pal I ask them to type their letter if their handwriting is not legible and they all do not care as they are looking out for me as I am looking out for them.

When you type your letter - you think you cannot be creative, but that is NOT true. I try to decorate my letters for each season. Either I put a beautiful picture on the top or throughout the letter or I use a picture for a watermark which shows up on each page! I do not want my letters to become boring in any way. Sometimes I make my own envelopes too. I am not too creative in that respect, but I am trying!

It's a delight to send little things through the mail that I know will make that particular pal smile.

I only write via snail mail - I do not care for the impersonal style of emails....my goodness.....a letter is so much nicer to receive.

I always send pictures of my pets and/or of me to my pals so they know what we all look like.

Unless you allow yourself to really share your life with a pal, you friendship will NEVER grow.

I also love making my own greeting cards on the computer and since I am able to write poetry, I enjoy using my own verses in my cards. Every one of my pals who has received a card from me is always happy.....I love putting smiles on people's faces.

I love sitting at my computer, looking out my window on to the rolling hills and mountains of my home and writing to my pals - this gives me the best joy in the world.

and....crossing the road on a crispy winter morning, while the icecicles dance on my nose, and my boots warming my toes, my hat snuggly over my head, and my gloves warming my hands, sliding on the ice and snow, opening my mailbox and finding a letter inside, makes my heart smile!

Try it sometimes - it's wonderful!