“A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.” ~Emily Dickinson

My father passed away 10 years ago, and out of all the things of his I now have in my possession, the ones I treasure most are the few that contain his handwritten words.  I have one short letter he wrote to me in 1993, and I ran across it the other day.  He wrote it to include with some magazines I had asked to borrow as I prepared to teach a class.  He ended it with the words, "I am proud of you....  Love, Pop."

My daddy often told me throughout my life that he was proud of me, so it's not like this was the only confirmation I ever had of that fact.  But it is special to me, because while he is no longer here to say those words, this handwritten note reminds me.  It's a part of him, and a part of us - father and daughter.  Additionally, I am blessed to have some letters my daddy wrote to his parents while he was in college, and even a note he wrote to his grandparents when he was only 7 years old, telling them how much fun he had with them the previous day on a trip to Mineola, and how good the peas and corn were - he signed it with simple print as "Bobby Meadows." I love those glimpses I have into his life before me, as written by his own hand. 

It's not just letters.  I also have a book I gave to my daddy a few years before he died, in which he wrote an inscription that stated he wanted me to someday have that book.  I have his study Bible, which he used to teach Bible classes.  It includes copious handwritten notes.  When I'm preparing to teach a class, or whenever I'm doing some study on my own, I always go to Daddy's notes - it's the next best thing to asking him what he thought about a particular passage.  

After finding Daddy's notes, I also found several letters from my Granny.  Most of Granny's letters were about the weather, or about happenings with different relatives - nothing very deep.  But I treasure them, because they give me a piece of her, even though she's gone now.  And those letters remind me of the special grandmother/granddaughter relationship we shared, as they are all signed, "Love, Granny."  She wrote out a couple of recipes to me by hand - I also treasure these more than anything that she might have copied or printed for me.  Why?  Because they are in her own, unique handwriting.  

In 1927, my granny's older sister, Ruth, died in childbirth at the young age of 19.  Granny was only 10 years old at the time, but they had two brothers who were older than Ruth - Bryan and Edgar.  I have a handwritten letter that someone named Viola wrote to the brothers expressing her sorrow and sympathy.  It is three pages long, and contains such phrases as, "I know gladness seems impossible, but the One who took Ruth from you can also heal your broken hearts."  "Just try vision Ruth in her heavenly happiness.  I seem to see her, and I only pray that the rest of us, when our time comes, will meet it as readily and as bravely as Ruth..."  She ends the letter with, "Hoping that the depths of sorrow will soon be banished, I send my love to all."  While we might be good about picking up a Hallmark sympathy card and signing it to send to a bereaved friend, few of us would be able to pen such a rich, comforting letter. 

While I greatly treasure those writings from my family who are no longer here, I also have other letters from those who still share in my life.  I have a box full of letters that Jeff and I wrote to each other during our dating years, and other boxes full of letters from dear friends.  I never throw a handwritten letter away.  And as I perused those boxes earlier this week, I was able to relive many wonderful memories, all of them shared in familiar handwriting by some of the people I love most in this world.  A little piece of them.  A reminder of "us" - of the unique relationships I have with each of them.  I love that.

There's something special about going to the mailbox, and finding a hand-addressed envelope, and opening that to reveal a hand-written letter.  Everyone's script is as unique as their voice.  Some pages might be marked by a coffee stain, or the characteristic smudge of a lefty script.  Some will have misspelled words, or unique phrases used only by the writer.  Phyllis Theroux wrote, "To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart," and in the handwritten letter of a friend, you can see, hold, and feel a piece of their heart - not just once, but as often as you pick it back up and read it again. Unfortunately, with the technological advances in our society today, people just don't write letters as much.  We have email, text messages, phone calls, and Skype - who needs (or has time) to write a letter?  And stamps are so expensive!

After finding and re-reading the letters I have mentioned here, I am sad for our generation as well as future ones who won't have those bits and pieces of their loved ones.  As for me, I am armed with a new box of stationery, and will do my part to bring back handwritten letters - my goal is to write at least one each week this year.  I hope you'll join me - I guarantee you it will make someone smile!