A Love Letter to Letters

Dear Reader, when was the last time you sent or received a letter? I would be willing to guess that it’s been a while. We exist in a time when texting and social media are the most common ways to communicate, but I think that there’s something so special about receiving a handwritten letter from someone you love. Efficiency aside, I think that more people should make a conscious effort to rekindle the art of writing letters. Writing and receiving letters plays a fairly large role in my week, largely because I am lucky enough to have friends and family that take time out of their busy lives to write to me! 

This hasn’t only been the case since I left for college, although it has definitely helped me adjust to being away from home. I’d like to say that my affinity for letter writing started before I was even born… I know, it’s an interesting claim, so let me explain. I’m only a few months older than my cousin, Ava, so when our moms were pregnant they had a joint baby shower. Our aunts and our grandma wrote us each a letter that basically introduced us to every member of our family. Obviously we couldn’t read yet, but it made for a great gift on our thirteenth birthdays! When I was in elementary and middle school, I frequently exchanged letters with my Grinny (my great-grandmother). We talked about the smaller things going on in our lives, but she also told me stories from when she was younger. Now that she is gone, I’m so grateful that I have those letters to remember her by. 

More recently, my mom had the amazing idea of setting up a table with cards and envelopes at my graduation party for people to write notes to me. She plans on sending them throughout the year as a reminder of all of the incredibly kind and caring people that I have in my life! At home, I have a box filled with every letter, note, and card that I have ever received: letters from former teachers, friends I met on vacations, holiday and birthday cards. Here at Holy Cross, the bottom drawer of my desk is dedicated to my stationary and growing collection of letters. It’s such a comfort to be able to read letters from my favorite people whenever I’m feeling homesick. That’s what gets lost with digital communication – you can’t reread a Snapchat or FaceTime call. 

I might be a bit biased, but there’s nothing better than being able to look back at the handwriting and stories of all of the people who have ever loved you. I’m nothing if not sentimental! The act of writing requires presence, something that is increasingly rare in our age of technology. With that being said, I want to challenge you to take a few minutes out of your day to write to someone you care about. Choose a pretty envelope and paper. Pick out a fun stamp at the post office (some of my past favorites have included the scratch-and-sniff popsicle stamps and the Harry Potter themed ones). Allow it to be filled with spelling mistakes and slanted lines – it’s authentic, just like you! Tell them about your day, or your current favorite books and songs, or just simply let them know how much you appreciate them. It’s certainly my favorite way to simultaneously connect and disconnect.