Yesterday, I was cleaning out our old home. Or trying to. There are so many books and papers still left behind. My dad's cupboard is full of files. Birth certificates, School certificates, Degree certificates and so on. There were also four really old files full of what seemed to be letters. You know me, the curious one, so I sat myself on the floor and started to read. They were letters that the four of us had sent home during our years away at college. Would you believe it? There's a whole written record of my days at WCC. My dad actually thought this was worth keeping, safely in a file, in his steel cupboard!!! It touched me deeply, knowing that he cares so much about us. And grateful that he kept the letters, because, twenty years down the line, they're fun to read.
I know that somewhere packed away along with my college books in my old trunk, there will be a stack of letters that I received from my parents while I was away. It was a routine every morning - running to the letter rack to check if there was anything. The joy when one found a letter was indescribable. I used to feel that I was back at home for those few minutes, sitting at the dining table, talking to my folks.
Letters bring you closer almost a physical closeness. It's like looking at the moon when you're in love and thinking that someone you love is looking at that same moon. I remember getting a card from an old boyfriend who was travelling in Kenya, saying something about the African stars and the Kenyan moon missing me as much as he did. Sigh!!! It's nice to be young and in love and get letters. Well, it's nice to be in love any time, though now I prefer more practical demonstrations of love - no moon or stars, the nearest Chinese restaurant is always a better bet. Receiving and sending letters, now that is something I still adore. I don't write too often, the ubiquitous e-mail has taken over. But once in a way, yes, I still sit down on a quiet Sunday morning and write letters; to aunts, to friends; to people whom I love and miss.
There is something about letters, really. When I saw this ad for Australia Post, it made me feel like sitting down and writing. Maybe tomorrow morning will be another letter writing Sunday.
Letters bring you closer almost a physical closeness. It's like looking at the moon when you're in love and thinking that someone you love is looking at that same moon. I remember getting a card from an old boyfriend who was travelling in Kenya, saying something about the African stars and the Kenyan moon missing me as much as he did. Sigh!!! It's nice to be young and in love and get letters. Well, it's nice to be in love any time, though now I prefer more practical demonstrations of love - no moon or stars, the nearest Chinese restaurant is always a better bet. Receiving and sending letters, now that is something I still adore. I don't write too often, the ubiquitous e-mail has taken over. But once in a way, yes, I still sit down on a quiet Sunday morning and write letters; to aunts, to friends; to people whom I love and miss.
There is something about letters, really. When I saw this ad for Australia Post, it made me feel like sitting down and writing. Maybe tomorrow morning will be another letter writing Sunday.
8 comments:
Isn't it adorable when you find parents, stern as they seem to be sometimes, are just soft cuddly somethings who save inconsequential things?
That is a beautiful ad though I must say I have never been much of a letter writer or receiver.
I think, though, emails are the new letters, right? I remember going through my mail archives and finding a bunch of emails my best friend had written about a boy she liked and when she finally did get to marry to him, i sent her the emails all bundled up.
It was so sweet to read her angst and then 5 years down the line, they were married.
you are right, any kind of written communication between people is special, esp. when they are preserved.
Hmm..definitely miss some of them letters and the writers of them letters..I didnt keep the letters I preserved though..There wasnt much sense in reading them again..not those ones atleast..But yes..the days when I used to get a letter, there was nothing as sweet as getting a letter, and going off to my room to read it and again and again..with a lil upward curl on my lips..
I once came across an old card I'd sent my folks when i was in the 3rd grade..Felt good to see that..but i am sure my mom must hv stashed some letters that her kids wrote..
sigh......few years ago i remember cleaning my shelf..and throwing away all the old stuff that i did not want....and i heaped it into a pile. and burned it.......it also had a lot of old letters frm friends.....boys and girls frm school.. some i have had a crush on...some cards i got..and stuff like that.....i really regret doing that....and is probably the most valuable thing i have thrown away.....this was like 6 years ago i think......i would never throw away any written stuff now..because its becoming harder and harder to find
@me
Yes, I was about 18 when it struck me one fine day that they were just big softies:-)
Yes, what you say about emails is true. I have a collection of emails that I exchanged with a friend many many years ago. We used to write about food and books mainly and yes, it should be fun going through them again.
@Shain
Oh I still have all the old love letters. Believe me, at this point, when I can't even remember what all the fights were about, I'm glad I have them. They were part of growing up:-)
@mac
I kept many, some I don't have anymore. I'm glad I have the ones I have :-)
Oooh... that certainly seems like a joy that I missed. Neither my parents nor I were great letter writers. And even if we did, on that crazy stray occasion, we wouldn't be able to read each other's handwriting ;)
But really, if not for the internet, I would really have been like some hermit completely ignorant of what the rest of the world's doing...
P.S. Well, yeah... My parents and I used to keep in touch through Mr Bell's invention - God bless his soul!
What a great post! I have boxes and boxes of old letters received over my liftetime and I wish I had letters I wrote to people when my kids were babies that chronicled their doings as they grew.
I LOVE the photo you posted with this too - it makes me smile.
:-)
@Jimmy
:-) We used to use the phone quite a lot, but writing letters was so much more enjoyable.
@pam
yes, I know exactly how you feel. You could check with people you wrote to. They may have the letters.
@rohan
:-)
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