The Lost Art of Letter Writing

Yesterday, my sister called me on the phone to relay a message. My cousin, Barbara, told my sister, Molly, that her mother, my Aunt Bernice, had talked to another aunt, Aunt Lois, who told her that she wanted to get in touch with me. She had tried calling my phone number, but I had my land line disconnected a couple of months ago, so she couldn’t get through to me. I had written Aunt Lois a note following her recent heart attack, and she wanted to tell me how well she is doing. It took this long string of phone messages to finally reach me.

I called Aunt Lois on the phone this morning, and we had a delightful conversation. She thanked me for the note I had written to her, and told me that she is unable to write these days because of her arthritis. As we said our good-byes, she said she’d look forward to hearing from me again soon. I also made sure she has my cell phone number, so that she can reach me directly next time!

Then, later today I received a hand-addressed envelope in the mail. I was curious. I hardly ever receive personal mail anymore, but only emails and phone calls. I was delighted to open it to find a postcard with a photo taken from a painting of John the Evangelist, photographed by my friend Mike from a 15th century Tigray, Ethiopia, Gospel book. On the back was a short note from Mike, in handwriting that I remember from my high school days when I used to receive letters from him from college. He wrote to thank me for a favor I had done for him (with a check enclosed) and to tell me that he would soon be leaving on a trip to Mongolia. It was wonderful reading his note, and I thought about my Aunt Lois and how much she must enjoy receiving mail.

I enjoy writing letters, although I don’t write them like I used to do. A couple of years ago I decided that instead of buying birthday cards for family members and friends, I would write each person a personal note on special note paper instead of sending a store-bought card. I made each note special by saying something personal in it about the person who was having the birthday. Most of my family and friends commented on how nice it was to receive their notes. However, I heard from one family member that another had complained that I hadn’t taken the time to go to the store and select a birthday card! Go figure!!

Letter writing. Is it gone with the world of internet, cell phones and text messaging? I hope not. I think I’ll go write a letter to Aunt Lois. And then, I’ll select a nice note card and send birthday greetings to a friend whose birthday is next week.