When was the last time you received a personal letter that was not sent by email, but a regular snail mail? What attitude did it set for you when you received a nice handwritten letter or note outside the stack of invoices that sometimes become everyday accessories for your mailbox? Pulling out a huge box full of a bunch of high school and university items from my mother’s house, I found at the bottom, a smaller box containing letters previously written to me by some of my old friends. There were probably about fifty letters in this box before I discarded them. I couldn’t resist this last chance to read each of them again. After about an hour of relentless reading, I prepared a cup of hot tea and sat down to continue my journey “back down a memory path”. I remember rewriting most of my letters, especially if I made a spelling mistake or if my sentence structure was not what I intended. Depending on the amount of paper I wasted editing, you’d think I’d send them to a major book publisher instead of to a friend!
Letter writing created a manifestation of memories bridging the distance between the sender and recipient. People were as careful about choosing decorative stills to write their letters, as was the letter itself. This connection through written communication promoted the exchange of conversation, creativity, and artistic expression.
The standard format that I followed almost every time I wrote a letter to my friends, immediate family who lived out of town, old boyfriends, or sometimes some of my favorite teachers, consisted of the following basic elements:
1. The Title (Name and Address)
2. Data
3. The Greeting (Dear So and So)
4. The Body (The message you write to the recipient)
5. The Closure (Kore, Vere Vere)
6. Your Signature
7. Post Script (There is some sort of occasional comment that was not mentioned in the Body of your letter, but made after the signature, called PS or PSS The PSS was an additional post script).
Sometimes on the back cover of the envelope, the writer put a smiling face or acronym like SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss), which indicated that a love letter had been enclosed.
Skill in elementary school was extremely important years ago. It surprised me and some of my friends who are parents that cursive writing is no longer taught in most schools. Therefore, the scrupulousness and pride of one’s calendar is not as evident today as when I was growing up. But a personalized letter or note makes you stop, sit down, read and appreciate the care behind the folded message. Personalized letters showed a unique voice, taste and style. It showed that many thoughts, even if it was not particularly pleasant, entered the written expression.
So why not do something extraordinary and make someone laugh today by writing them a personalized letter instead of an electronic one. The memories will be worth the effort, especially if the person is miles away. You will be very satisfied simply by taking a few minutes to write a lovely personal message, whether on some pretty still or not. That would be a special gift and welcome help for anyone to receive in the mailbox among the endless bills.
