Great Friends, Great letters

When I was in elementary school, I had a penpal, or two. One of my best writing pals was from New York. It was tons of fun.  We mailed each other letters, cards, photos, stickers... and once, we even took video of our homes, families, pets, etc and exchanged.

Through out letters, we encouraged each other, laughed together, and told each other our secrets.

Later in middle school, I had another great penpal. This one from TX.  She even came to visit and stay with my family for a week! It was fun showing her around my home town, and then taking her around the state, with my parents of course, showing her all the tourist things to do.

I'm not sure what happened with either of my writing buddies, however we eventually lost touch. It is kind of sad. I suppose part of it was our age, and distance in such a non-digital time. Yet, I'm not the kind of person who is good friends with someone, and then just disappears.

Sure, maybe people come into your life for one reason or another at a certain point in time to help you with whatever is going on. blah blah blah. However I tend to also believe that those people who really help you out, that you can talk with for hours and not realize it, who you can pick up a conversation after weeks of not chatting much, or even those who you stand at the mailbox waiting for a letter... those people, are great friends.

Though I email a lot, I have only a couple people I email frequently. Now by frequently, I mean, sometime 3 times in a day, and other times, not for a couple weeks. I love these emails and way of corresponding. I still now and then also send handwritten notes, yet, I am saddened by the frequency, and length of my actual written notes.

I will be making a huge effort this year, as part of My Little Word, to write more letters. Not just "hello how are you", but really write a letter.

Would you like to join me?