Letters from the past

Yesterday I got a call from one of my favorite people. She had been going through a box of letters and cards she'd found in storage and wanted to read me something. It was a letter I had written her circa 1996, when we were in our freshmen year of college. Yes, back then we wrote letters. See, she lives in Texas and at the time, I lived in Michigan.

In the letter I talked about taking working to save up money to buy a modem and enough money to pay for Internet services. I didn't yet have email and I was hoping to get it soon. Can you imagine? I'm having a hard time remembering a time before Facebook let alone before email. I do remember it being a year or so after that before I would get my first email account (the one I still use daily!). Gosh, that was SIXTEEN years ago. And yet...it seems like only a few days ago.

That's why I love letters. I love anything in written form. I can recount whole relationships with letters and cards and notes I have in Rubbermaid under my bed. My mom has been cleaning out my grandmother's house and I love when she brings home drawings or cards from when I was little. I love seeing the handwriting of those I love. Is there really anything better than finding a letter or a card in the mail?

It's hard to picture sixteen years from now - and know that there won't be such a box filled with memories from today. People, at least the people in my life, don't send notes and cards like they used to. Now we have Facebook and texts and, if it's a long drawn out affair, the old-fashioned email. But looking (and hearing) back on those memories is something special.

Back then I was thinking of moving to New York. I thought California was too far away. I was babysitting for the first time two little girls who are now out of college and all grown up. I was studying psychology and hating it. I was looking forward to the marriage of said favorite person - who now has three little ones!

Memories. In whatever shape or form or picture are so important. Lately I've been looking back, which I think is so important in moving forward. Looking back and holding tight. And to keep it going, I'm going to go write some letters and put some stamps on them.