When I recently read a YouGov poll stating 'one in five children in the UK have never received a letter', I felt sad.
My heart said 'that is so sad'. There is something special about receiving a letter. If it's hand written, you know it's taken the sender time and effort and more often than not, it is filled with love. At the least you know it is filled with thought; real, considered thought. To know that you are the recipient of someone's time is a real gift in current times. Perhaps I am just a romantic?
My head, currently grappling with social media for business and pleasure, however, is screaming 'move on! get current! the world is changing...' Many things come and go in cycles though- I wonder if in the future my daughter will receive a form of a letter? Some cyber version representing someone's thought and love for her. I hope so.
In the meantime, as I know for sure she will be a child of a technological world I can only begin to imagine, I am going to write her some letters, with a pen and on paper. She may not receive them in the post but she will receive them one day and will know my time and love was freely spent thinking about her and wanting her to know about it. And she can hold that love in her hands, fold and unfold the paper; take it out of an envelope; sit in a corner and read it quietly; look at my handwriting.
The letter will wear perhaps or rip or even get lost but even that is all part of the letter-receiving experience: the fragility that it can be fleeting or precious; that it is to be treasured and commited to memory. It is time. It is love.
It all makes me want to start a 'send a child a letter' campaign! I'll start with my own and go from there...
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Lee H
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... Interesting points you raise here Kirsten. Handwritten letters most definately convey the personality and feelings of the writer so much more than their electronic counterparts. Sadly, I think history will prove to be the biggest loser. As more and more people choose to communicate via text and email so future generations will cease to find those bundles of letters which so often give an insight into the lives, hopes and aspirations of their forebears. Much in the same way that digital cameras have all but killed off the traditional photo album. We can all remember sitting around looking back at old photos with family and friends but who does that now? Digital photos are stored away on hard drives, CDs, DVDs and flash drives, quite often never to be seen again. Who is to say that in 30 years or so the technology is still around to view files on hard drives, CDs, DVDs and flash drives? It will all be so different then, don't count on backward compatibility either - seen any Betamax players recently? May I humbly suggest that along with your letters to your daughter you include a good selection of your favourite photographs - printed. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words - especially those showing happy moments in your lives. Your letters may even end up as precious family heirlooms! |
Kirsten
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... What a lovely comment, Lee and a great suggestion! I will add photos to the letters, perfect |
