Putting Pen to Paper

Speaking of lost arts {like being polite}, in this age of ever-evolving technology, sitting down to write a letter seems to be more and more of a rare thing.

Emails and facebook messages are great and convenient, but there is something more to be said for taking the time to sit down and put a pen to paper. It's more personal, thoughtful, and has a unique special-ness as hand-penned notes and letters are becoming a lost practice.

For me, it also has a certain nostalgia to it--sitting down to write {by hand} to someone. It was common practice for hundreds of years to correspond with loved ones by sending letters, telling of the latest news. It's how families connected and couples conveyed their romantic love. Husbands, wives, and families separated by war were able to correspond through letters only. I suppose it is this fact of history, combined with the romantic in me, that has made it so important to me to send Matt many hand-written letters during this deployment.

As you can see, I'm also a fan of the tradition of sending postcards. I sent a whole stackful of them earlier this week. It's such a fun way to let someone know that you were thinking of them while you were away.

I am also quite certain that I love writing letters so much because my number one love language is "words of affirmation." I have a large white shoebox nearly filled to the brim with cards and letters I've received over the years. I keep all the cards from my parents, my sister, my brother, and of course Matt, among many others. I've kept letters sent to me by my life-long best friend, Katie Kyle, from when we were little girls. The box is filled with all sorts of cards and letters from many special people at many different time periods in my life.

I hope there are others out there, like me, who love the tradition and romanticism of hand-penned notes and letters so much, that we are able to keep this dying art from fading away forever.