The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I have always loved to write letters.

Because you have to write a letter to receive one.

And there is nothing sweeter than getting a letter in the mail.

Especially if there are photos.

Receiving cards are wonderful, too. And if there is a letter or note inside, even better.

There are so many beautiful cards these days. Or you can make your own. These handmade cards were from my daughter and I to my Dear Mother. I found them in with her keepsakes when she died. To know that she had saved them, makes my heart happy.

The beautiful embossed envelope from my sweet Hubby is missing it's card. No doubt it was beautiful and I displayed it for a while, separating it from it's envelope.

I'm sure I still have it.

I am one of those people who saves pretty cards and letters. 

My Dear Mother also loved to write letters. When she moved West from New England and left all of her friends and family behind, she kept in touch regularly by writing letters.

She collected Limoges porcelain boxes, and before she died, she gave them to me. This one is especially dear. A miniature envelope. A gift from my Father.

With a tiny card inside that reads, 'With Love'.

A perfect little remembrance of her love for writing letters.

The letter on top of my ribbon tied bundle is from her. The last one she wrote to me. Even though she lived down the street.

I am always on the look out for beautiful note cards to add to my collection. A personalized thank you, or a sweet endearment just to say, 'I'm thinking of you', is a precious keepsake.

Some of them are truly little works of art.

This little beauty is hand stitched on hand made paper. A gift from my Dear Daughter.

These colorful works of art were made by my children in school. I use them for special occasions to send to them one at a time.

I would love to know how they made them!

Museum gift shops are wonderful places to find these miniature works of art. Lovely souvenirs of a pleasurable day spent surrounded by beauty.

The Limoges stamp box was a gift to my Mother from me. And now it is mine.

I keep these little treasures in my Mother's beautiful desk.

Where I also keep a photo of them taken at the Senior Prom. My Father wore a white tux. So many years ago. This little lamp with the capiz shell shade has graced this very same spot since my Mother bought her beautiful desk from the Ethan Allen store in the 1960's.

The Ink bottle with the feather pen, and the three little quail have also resided there since then.

Another picture of my parents when they were dating, at the beach. And the wooden Mortar and Pestle we found in the abandoned farm house when I was nine, where I also found the crochet hooks that inspired my love of crochet.

I still write letters. Although not so many these days. I write to my elderly Aunts living in New England. I write to Hubby's sisters and his elderly Mother.

I write about my day to day life, a record of my life in the present.

As I sit at my Mother's desk, connected to the past.

And maybe, my letters will live on for future generations.

Writing letters is a lost art. But one well worth preserving. The romance of a bundle of letters, tied with a ribbon and yellowed with age, speaking of simple day to day lives, can never be replaced.

The pleasure of receiving a beautiful note card, perhaps with a photo or a small keepsake, such as a feather or pressed flower, can never be compared.

I hope this inspires you to write a letter today.

At the very least, it gives you an excuse for buying all those pretty note cards!
And I guarantee it will make someone very happy!