Thank you to everyone for these fantastic responses! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all your thoughts this month. Paid subscribers: look forward to another post or two before September arrives! In the meantime, I hope the below comments are as encouraging and thought-provoking for you as they have been for me.
— Gracy
“My 3-yr-old girl and I have gotten into hand-crafted Valentines and thank-you cards this year. We bought some card paper, markers/pens, and basic stickers and made Valentines for her friends & mine, and for our neighbours (the latter we delivered with some heart cookies). It's a fun tradition and a lovely excuse to claim Valentines Day as an occasion to show small acts of love more broadly to all those whom God has given us. And the more general thank-you cards are ones that she creates and then I write in.
Also this past year, I've looked into resources to improve my handwriting because, similar to you, I used to receive regular cards from my grandmother in her beautiful script. She stopped writing about 6 years ago or so, due to failing strength and growing dementia, and then she passed away this past March. I saved many of her cards, and I like the idea of continuing her tradition. There is something special and meaningful about physical artifacts of communication.
Finally, I began following Lindsey at The Postmans Knock (where I found some free ‘improve your handwriting’ worksheets); she has lovely ideas for making ‘mail art’ and also offers courses in handwriting and calligraphy. I haven't taken one, but I love her mail art ideas. They range from simple to more complex.”
— Christa
“I write letters to my family and a few friends. When I read the newspaper, I will read something that will remind me of a person or a conversation that we once had and include the clipping as well as a few additional tidbits of news or an inquiry into what is happening to them. The odd dynamic of our modern world is that while the people I write to LOVE receiving these letters, they respond to me electronically. I wonder sometimes if huge parts of our population have forgotten how to address an envelope and possess stamps to put on envelopes.
In September 2021, the subscription to my local newspaper came due and I decided not to renew for two reasons. First, because of a vocation change and potential financial challenges. And, second, and more importantly, because the local newspaper had been bought out by a company that gutted the local news department and we no longer had much local news to report in the local newspaper. By January 2022, I realized that I had not written to my sister in quite a long time and it was because I did not have the newspaper clippings to share with her. Her response was to gift me with a year's subscription to a national newspaper that I really wanted to read (WSJ). Now, she receives a weekly handwritten letter and a clipping or two from me. And, others are hearing from me more often too.”
— Jeff
“I write by hand and it's imperative that I do so. I taught writing on the college writing and learned many things about writing. And one of the most important things I taught my students that writing is different for each of us. However, I urged them to try handwriting. The reason being is that I firmly believe that when cultivating an idea, that idea is better related to the hand which increases the quickness and excitement of writing something down on paper. I believe it is connected to thought and then at the usual pauses in writing, allows us to think more productively about the next sentence and idea. I write poetry and I only can write it by hand, on a large pad, preferably sitting outside and being in tune with nature. The pen is an instrument of lines and words that I pen and my mind is connected to a fluidity that I can't otherwise explain. I think many poets wrote by hand as some of their ideas needed immediate release otherwise the thought would be lost as well as the feeling or capturing the muse. I must have a black pen and no other and the legal pad allows me more room to ruminate about my work or allow me to strike words and sentences out and begin again. I can't imagine not writing as I can't imagine me printing words. It would be too slow and slow down the process.”
— Joan
“My mother instilled letter-writing into me early. She encouraged me to always handwrite Thank You notes, birthday cards with personal touches, "thinking of you" notes, and even creating my own cards from magazine clippings and paper. I still do it and have taught my kids (13, 15) to always say Thank You with a handwritten note. I realize it may seem like an old-fashioned obligation, but really, how many exciting things do we get in the mail anymore, aside from bills (and my lovely quarterly issue of Plough!)? Not much. It's fun to get a birthday card from someone, and they understand that since they live very far away from any extended family.
We often hear from much older relatives how much their notes mean to them; perhaps its nice to see people communicating in a way they were much more used to.
I've had penpals from Egypt, Malaysia, and now, my home state as one of my close friends from college recently got into letter-writing and sends beautifully hand-illustrated cards and envelopes, too. I told her I'd write her back and now I get to enjoy letter writing with someone else. Even though we talk to each other near-daily via text, it's little daily wonderings that we wouldn't think to share in a text, that we write about in our letters.”
— Sarah
“I write letters infrequently. During the depths of pandemic shutdowns, however, I found that writing letters was a good way to keep in touch with friends. Letters were a tangible reminder of friendship and affection that other virtual forms of interaction could not rival. Letter-writing, as you said, allows for a more thoughtful, slow-paced communication that revealed a side of my pen pals that did not come through even in face-to-face conversation.
During the pandemic there was ample time for sharing thoughts via snail mail. Now that life is mostly back to normal, I'm finding it hard to take that time. A letter-writing challenge sounds like just the thing to restart the habit!”
— Kristen
“I've been pen pals with for several years with my uncle who is in prison. For the longest time, mailed letters (and black and white photocopies of pictures) were the only form of written communication allowed. We periodically sent each other snail mail over the course of time, and I loved the way it slowed me down — forcing me to consider my thoughts carefully, and construct sentences deliberately. For him, having been incarcerated for so many years, this was his normal! It occurred to me that what was a deliberate practice for me was the only way he knew, not having been exposed to the torrent that is internet and social media communication. Only in the last few years has some new technology developed (an email system, of sorts) to allow for electronic communication. We've taken advantage of it, and it is certainly helpful in some sense. However, your post reminded me I still have a suppressed itch to get back to those handwritten letters. Writing and receiving them have been enormously memorable and meaningful for us both.”
— Haley
These muffins are based on this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, but I made several changes.
Vegan + Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffins
(Yields 12-16 muffins.)
2 cups (260g) gluten-free flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
3 flax eggs*
1/2 cup (100g) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (85g) maple syrup
1/3 cup (80ml) coconut oil
1/3 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp. orange zest
1/3 cup (80ml) orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (260g) grated carrots
1 cup (140g) grated apple
1/2 cup (75g) raisins (or dried cranberries)
1/2 cup (64g) unsalted chopped pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
*for the flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. (For 3 flax eggs, use 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 9 tablespoons of water.)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two muffin tins, or fill with cupcake liners.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
In another bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, honey, oil, applesauce, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Add carrots and apples.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just until combined, then add raisins, pecans, pumpkin seed, and coconut.
Fill cupcake tin(s), and bake for 22-25 minutes at 350°F (177°C). (A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should emerge clean if they’re done.)
I loved reading all these responses! Maybe two years ago I started trying to send one handwritten letter each month. Mostly I just write whatever is going on that day or week that I share an interest in with them--my aunt and I were snail-mailing each other recommendations on YouTube channels 😂 I was visiting my sister’s house a few months ago and saw one of my notecards on her fridge. I didn’t want to pry, but I also couldn’t remember what I had sent her! But it was sweet to know that she saved it ☺️