The Value Of Handwritten Letters
The Value Of Handwritten Letters
Letters are going out of style in today’s technological age.
What a shame.
Handwritten letters connect us in a way that can’t be duplicated with digital replacements. There are very few emails that I have gone back through the last decade and reread.
Exactly zero texts that I have saved and kept close to my heart.
Even in the moment where the words are treasured, we are bombarded with so many in a day…perhaps without the personal touch associated with paper we overlook the value.
Grandpa always wrote to me. Always.
He was not always able to express his devotion to me in person, but when he penned me a note, it always came through. I would look for the same things, every time, and I would picture my Grandpa writing.
Dear Christer… No one else called me that
The weather today…Never one letter without that header
Everyday details…None were too small to be shared
And when I went too long without writing him? Oh, he’d let me know that wasn’t ok.
And when I did write? My penmanship left much to be desired.
I can still imagine him tossing the letter on the table in frustration and yelling, “Pat, what in the **** does this say?” It makes me chuckle.
I knew what to expect in Grandpa’s letters
And on his end? He truly anticipated my reply. These pieces of mail mattered, though at the time they seemed like such ordinary pieces of ordinary life.
My Grandpa has been gone for over a decade now. I have a pile of his postcards. A sprinkling of letters. They make me cry or smile or laugh, depending on the day. Reflective of his mood when he wrote.
I hear his voice in these letters. I know his exact posture when he would write, I see him at his table. I know his preference for those felt pens, and a good pencil.
I see his tousled hair and bathrobe and glasses, and the hint of a smile to see my letter on the table. Or the movement of how his hand would wave into the air calling out for my Grandma to tell him what my words said.
Letters give us so many things
A note from my Dad last week, a surprise. My mom’s letter to me as a child telling me she loved me. My great aunt’s card written when I was born, to tell me about something she was leaving me someday from her beloved sister. A letter from another country, telling me about a boy going to school.
Love notes from my husband, long before marriage. A letter before my aunt passed away, her scratch letters sprawling her love onto paper. A letter with drawings from my brother with inside jokes from 20 years ago.
I even have a copy of a note written from a mother to a son who had left home for the service…from my Great-Grandmother to my Grandpa.
They are precious, of incalculable value to me.
This week, consider writing a letter. It doesn’t have to be long. Someone will be surprised to pull it out of their box. They’ll treasure it much more than all the bills and circulars. Because it says, “You matter to me…”
What do you think about handwritten letters, are they worth the effort?
Interesting books about handwritten letters
- The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication
- Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
- Vintage Antique Documents: Scrapbook Embellishments Paper | Handwritten Letters, Official Documents Postcards from the early 1900s
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Beautiful Christa!
Thanks Lotta
You are so on target with this, Christa! I, too, have saved letters over the years… some precious ones from you among them.
It’s heartwarming to know it was important to someone to take time (so precious to us all!) to sit down and pen a few words; perhaps a question, or a bit of good news… a very personal touch from a loved person in one’s life.
I have yours too Grandma! I love you
Letters are little jewels we take and wrap up hiding them away. And sometimes when we take them out to reread them we find they are more brilliant than we remember.
I used to write my Bible Study Teacher’s mom, Gram Julia. I have kept those letters and she often had the phrase tucked in, “I just thought I’d pen you a line.”
How valuable those letters were to me and in the end when her hands shook she would apologize for the shaky letters. Oh, the value of the handwritten word.
Thanks for a reminder of something we should never lose. The ability to let others know they matter.
That is so special, if only she knew how much MORE valuable those shaky letters must have been
One of my cousins posted a picture of the envelope from a letter I wrote to her when I was a kid. I used to write notes on the envelope that I forgot to put in the letter.
That must have been quite a surprise to the recipient! 🙂 Neat that your cousin saved it…
Christa
I firmly believe that notes in the mail are the best. I am a hoarder of note cards. I love to send them out.
I am glad to hear of a fellow note card hoarder 🙂
Christa,
I feel like I’ve walked down memory lane with you as I love, love, love written letters. There is nothing better than receiving a letter in the mail. I find the only time I handwrite a letter is for very special occasions these days to family or friends.
However, if you are not familiar with the organization, http://www.moreloveletters.com I am happy to introduce you to them. They are an organization that writes handwritten letters to people in need of some old fashion loving. Check out the site and you too can begin writing love letters to others. I have been doing this for a while and am loving it. Especially leaving love letters for people to find.
So you can tell I am a fan of the written letter. Even find that I enjoy reading epistolary (letter) books, especially like “Griffin and Sabine Trilogy.” or “Winston and Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchill’s.” I feel as though I have walk into someone else’s life and am experiencing life through their eyes and feelings. Great stuff.
Thanks for the reminder of some of my more enjoyable times.
Laura, I was not familiar with that organization. So glad you shared that link with us, and I will enjoy checking out the books too.
My favorite book of the year, by far, is called “I’ll be seeing you” by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan. It tells the story of two WWII brides exchanging letters across the country…previous strangers. So moving
What a treasure you have. Once or twice I’ve wondered if someday people will realize how much they’ve lost in personal communication – as you indicate, emails and texts are hardly worth saving – and the pendulum will start swinging back…provided anyone remembers how to actually write!
Well Lucie, let’s work to keep up the traditions!
Oh Christa, you are so right about that. Handwritten letters and cards are the best. Almost a lost art. I have gotten emails that were really special to me too, maybe I should print them out lest I forget about them.
That would be a smart idea Kathleen! I just went searching for some emails today and couldn’t find them. How much easier if they were printed off with other special mementos
Christa, this is spot on! One of my friends sends out hand-written cards of encouragement each week as a personal ministry. It means so much more to know someone took the time to write out a personal message and send it through the mail. I know when I get a card in the mail it makes my day! Thanks for the reminder!
What a ministry, I wonder if your friend really knows how much she is touching people’s lives? It really is the little things isn’t it? Because the those things are the details we remember…
Thank you for this wonderful sensitive post. Have you heard about Sui Generis Stationers? They promote the idea of the handwritten cards as an antidote to the overburden of electronic communication.
Hi Pamela, I hadn’t but will definitely check it out! Thanks
I never really written a letter before, but reading this has influenced me to want to write a letter. I’ve always wanted to write letters to my grandma because I never really see her that much anymore since she lives like 3 hours away. Letters are worth the effort in my opinion. Thank you for sharing with us, Christa! I love stationary and will definitely write a letter with one of my cute pens.
Allison, what a treat to think you might like to give them a go. What a lost art form. I collect vintage papers, journals, recipe cards, post cards…whatever. They all tell a story just like your letters will. Currently, and in the future! Your grandma would be surprised and delighted I bet. And hey…who doesn’t love a reason to use that cute stationary and pen? Happy letters to you :). Thanks so much for sharing
The value of handwritten letters. (Rob)
Loved this article and the way it was related to a grandparent.
I started my military career before the internet was available and even before cell phones were so user friendly.
Back then as a soldier, you could write on anything, anywhere and geive it to he CQMS (you can google that) and they would see that it got to the desired address for free. So I wrote letters in cardboard scraps and ammo boxes and mailed them to my family and in return theyed write back. It’s a warm connection to your world regardless of the world you’re in a the time. Those sweeping own strokes, the crossed out words and scribbled x’s and o’s. I can honestly say it warmed my heart in my coldest moments. The written word is like the Polaroid style photo…. nostalgic and a commission, each and every one…. as permanent as a tattoo in time.
Hi Rob, I really appreciated hearing about how impactful letters have been in your life! Imagining how you used any resource to get those words home to your family, it touches my heart. You have way with words, ” nostalgic and a commission, each and every one…. as permanent as a tattoo in time”. That is a beautiful word picture, from a fellow lover of sentiment. Thanks for sharing today!
I really enjoyed this article as it hit close to home. It reminds me a lot of my childhood when I used to write to my cousins in Mexico. We used to write to each other because they never really had a phone, so means of communication with them was limited. But was still able to feel just exactly what they meant through their letters, with their slang enriched terminology, it was just as if I was right by them.
Hi Erick, thank you so much for taking a moment to share a piece of your story! I really enjoyed reading it and am glad this brought you a special memory of YOUR loved ones. I hope you still have a letter tucked away, so much of the time as kids we had no clue what treasures these would become 🙂