April is National Card and Letter Writing Month

Here's How to Revive the Lost Art

Remember the last time you got a real card or letter from a real person you care about in your real mailbox? You tromped down the driveway on an ordinary day, opened the lid, and there it nestled, among the bills, flyers, catalogs and other unasked-for marketing detritus, an envelope with an actual stamp and a handwritten address! Maybe it was a birthday card, or a birth announcement. Maybe it was an invitation to a bridal shower or a Valentine. Or maybe it was a real, honest-to-goodness, chatty, "newsy" letter! You flushed with pleasure to see the familiar name and return address, admired the choice of stamp, and ran gleefully back into the house to savor the message at length, possibly even brewing a cup of coffee or tea and ensconcing yourself on the couch or at the kitchen table to read the news.

Maybe there was an article, carefully clipped from a newspaper or magazine, that the sender thought you'd be interested in. "I was reading this and thought of you," the note says. Maybe there's a recipe or some coupons; maybe the local paper did a write-up on your dad and your mom sent it to you, the far-flung college kid or grad. Maybe there are photographs of the new little one, or the bride-to-be, or the first tree planted at the brand new house, all of which to display proudly on your fridge.

And the letter itself brought your friend or your aunt or your college roommate right into the room with you. Maybe there was monogrammed stationery, maybe it was one of those note cards the charities send us to try to get us to donate, or maybe it was a piece of notebook paper decorated with stickers from your niece, but that letter was an experience, not just for the news, but for the connection. You probably saved that letter, that article, and certainly those photographs. It was a piece of your friendship, your relationship, and your love.