When was the last time you received a personal letter that was not sent by email, but by regular mail? What kind of attitude did you get when you received a nice handwritten letter or note out of the pile of bills that sometimes become daily accessories for your mailbox? After retrieving a huge box filled with a variety of high school and college items from my mother’s house, I found in the back, a smaller box containing letters previously written to me by some of my old friends. There must have been about fifty cards in this box before I threw them away. I couldn’t resist this last chance to read each one of them again. After about an hour of non-stop reading, I made myself a cup of hot tea and sat down to continue my journey “back down memory lane.” I remember rewriting most of my letters, especially if I made a spelling mistake or my sentence structure wasn’t how I wanted it to be. Judging from the amount of paper I wasted editing, you’d think I was mailing them to a major book publisher instead of a friend!

Letter writing created a manifestation of memories that bridged the distance between sender and recipient. People were as meticulous in choosing decorative stationery to write their letters as the letter itself. This connection through written communication promoted the exchange of conversation, creativity and artistic expression.

The standard format that I followed just about every time I wrote a letter to my friends, out-of-town immediate family, old boyfriends, or, occasionally, some of my favorite teachers, was made up of the following basic elements:

1. The Header (Name and Address)

2. Date

3. The Greeting (Dear So-and-So)

4. The Body (The message you are writing to the recipient)

5. Closing (Sincerely, sincerely)

6. Your signature

7. Back dash (There is an occasional comment that was not mentioned in the body of your letter, but was made after signing, called PS or PSS The PSS was an additional back dash.)

Sometimes, on the back flap of the envelope, the writer would put a smiley face or an acronym such as SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss) indicating that a love letter was enclosed.

Calligraphy in elementary school was extremely important years ago. It was a surprise to me and some of my friends who are parents that cursive writing is no longer taught in most schools. Therefore, the meticulousness and pride that one takes in one’s calligraphy is not as evident today as it was when I was a child. But a personalized letter or note makes you stop, sit, read, and appreciate the thoughtfulness behind the folded message. The custom lyrics displayed have a unique voice, taste and style. It showed that a lot of thought, even if it wasn’t especially nice, was put into the written expression.

So why not do something out of the ordinary and make someone smile 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. He’ll get great satisfaction out of simply taking a few minutes to write a heartwarming personal message, whether it’s on pretty stationery or not. That would be a special gift and welcome relief for someone to receive in the mailbox in the midst of endless bills.