This takes me back to when I was growing up… The first letter I wrote when I learned how to read and write was to my favorite aunt Fatima (my mother’s older sister) and to my adorable favorite late maternal grandma. I remember just how I couldn’t wait to hear from them… it was something that I considered a blessing … to be able to keep in touch and then wait for the mail man and I learn the hours that he used to show up every day and I would stay at the window or seating in front of my home to receive my letters, the letters from my boyfriend who was on a mission, or of ALL the boys that were on a mission and used to write me every week, or of my brothers when they were traveling and I was not with them, or when I was traveling with my grandparents or Godparents and was waiting to hear from my family, including the family members who were been living all over the world since I was a little girl, one by one all my family members took different paths and spread out through this huge, but amazing world.
TODAY…I wait for EMAILS… don’t take me wrong, I LOVE EMAILS… but every time I go to my mailbox, my first thoughts are…”Let’s see how many bills I have today”. Or… let’s see how much advertisement letters or junk mail we have… In full honesty it goes many days that I don’t even take the time to go check my mailbox… what for I wonder?
It brings a smile to my face every time I get that so expected email, but I feel that we are a generation who does everything VIRTUAL… what happened to us? To in fact take some time of our EXTREMELY BUSY day and go look for the perfect Birthday card, for the perfect Christmas card, for the perfect Get Well card? My father always told me that it didn’t matter the money that we spent on a present or on a card, but the personal time and effort we put in getting it.
I miss getting home and feel the anticipated happiness of thinking what letters or what cards I will receive…versus feeling gloomy every time I go to my mailbox, because I know that nothing other than bills are expecting me.
I do MISS the days when see the mailman was something exciting and I longed for that anticipation…I DO love emails, but I still take the time every B-days, every Holiday and many times OUT OF THE BLUE I just send a card to my friends, "just cause"… and gosh dang it sure feels good going to the mail and give it to the people inside. Last week the clerk told me that I must be the last of my “kind” to use the mail to really send something other than the obligated business letters or the bills with the checks inside…
Today as I thought about that…I felt such a nostalgia and felt glad at the same time that I did not succumb to make everything in my life in a virtual way… I do love to write and receive a handwritten letter or card... I just miss some things that are consider "Old Fashion" in nowadays...
1 comment:
Oh for the good ol' days. I read an article recently that many schools are not teaching penmanship any more in favor of writing with a keyboard. So much for being able to read anything our kids might write to us with pencil and paper.
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