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| This is not my mail...my pile was not this neat! |
I spent this morning cleaning out the clutter. It's my last opportunity to accomplish something by the end of this month. I've switched all my monthly statements to electronic reporting, purchased a new drive to backup my electronic records, created a new mail sorting station, and produced a reference notebook that holds all our financial, medical, and insurance data. As hard as I tried it was almost impossible for me to stay on task. Digging through the accumulated piles I uncovered long lost treasures that demanded to be read.
You never know what you'll find hidden in the bottom of a mail basket. I found a note written by my granddaughter last year. She was just learning how to write, every letter carefully formed to say "I love you Nana" and signed with her name...first and last, just in case I confused her with some other granddaughter named Megan. I found numerous greeting cards from various holidays and events. It's so rare for me to receive personal mail that I can't bring myself to throw away those handwritten cards and notes. They sit in the mail basket for months, and sometimes years.
After my mother died my brother and I cleaned out her house. We found every letter we had ever written to her and every greeting card that we had ever sent her. I probably have more in common with my mother than I like to admit.
Today one of the treasures I refound was a letter that a friend sent me when I retired. She wrote about the influence I had had on her in our work relationship and how I had made a difference for her and for our students. I'm keeping that letter and the note from my granddaughter. They remind me of the power of the written word and that I'm loved.
Today is an extra day in your year. It really is a bonus. Spend some of your windfall time to write a real note, on paper with ink, and send it to an important person in your life. I bet it will stick around a lot longer than those emails and text messages.
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When my mother was ill her old boss wrote her a letter telling how much he'd liked and appreciated all the years they had worked togther. It made such an impression on mom that my sister and I took a lesson from it. Among others, I sent a letter to a former employee and my sister sent one to her mother-in-law. Pens and paper and ink are powerful.
ReplyDeleteI regret the loss of hand written notes & letters but have to say I put off writing them as long as possible. I'm a child of the Internet these days. I recently sent a hand written thank-you note. I delayed doing it for days.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous that you've cleaned up and organized. Been meaning to do it myself for a long time now. I think I have some old love letters down in the basement somewhere ...
ReplyDeleteGood advice. It's always a good idea to reflect on the things that truly have value.
ReplyDeleteI have a drawer that contains many old letters and sometimes I think I should clean it out. But then when I begin, I run across things like you found. Priceless beyond measure. I love Megan's signature. I remember doing that! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a "memory box" for old handwritten things. And I save really nice emails in my inbox.
ReplyDeleteI also have a place to save notes and cards. Cleaning out my mother's house I found many letters and cards we had sent over the years. I saved them for my siblings, and brought home the ones sent from me. They are a wonderful family history.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am pleased to say I sent a handwritten note just last Friday to an old friend who I haven't seen for a long time who is now battling cancer. I think notes are wonderful. I love it that the comments I receive on my blog are being saved electronically.
Your extra day sounded very productive.
Good for you, getting productive on this bonus day! I have such a hard time throwing away handwritten letters or notes. I keep them all, and I have them all over the place. Ever so often, I make an attempt at organizing them, and think I've done pretty good, then run across another stash, and no room in the new "organized space".
ReplyDeleteWhen my grandma died, my aunt found every letter and card we had sent, and she gave them all back to us kids. I didn't keep every single one, but I did keep quite a few. They're fun to read!
Maybe someday I'll have a bonus day (when I'm not working and it seems like just another day!)
Many congratulations on completing that chore! It is amazing how time consuming the task can be -- but it's also a very pleasurable way to spend time! I have a file of handwritten letters and cards and I keep all those letters that come enclosed with Christmas cards. They are indeed a pleasure to receive and mean an awful lot to me. I keep all my email letters in individual folders in my e-mail program, as well as copies of my responses! Good thing I have a large hard drive now!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to spend Leap Day! I should follow your lead. My paper piles are growing exponentially. I agree that it is good for the soul to receive a handwritten note or card. Thanks for the reminder. I should try to send a note or two. And wouldn't it be fun to get an actual letter in the mailbox instead of all those bills?
ReplyDeleteHand-written notes and cards mean so much! I have a stash myself -- of letters from my parents, from Aunt Molly and other relatives, from friends long dead. I love to read them and hold them and remember. As much as I love the immediacy and convenience of emails and other electronic communication, there's nothing quite like an old-fashioned letter! (With first letters from grandkids and other young loved ones in a special category!)
ReplyDeleteGosh, I can't remember the last time I received a personalised, hand-written letter. You are so right, these things ARE precious, I remember how emotional it was discovering every card and scrap of mail I'd ever sent my mother, sorting through her things after she died. Most of my written treasures I keep have not been posted to me - little notes my children have left around for me, and a few love notes hubby has penned, that kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteYes, posting mail out tends to be for purely functional reasons, these days, doesn't it? I think I may well sit down and write a personal letter to someone I love - thanks for the thought!
Thanks for this sweet reminder. I tend to save all those handwritten things, too, and they'll have a second or third or fourth value for whoever finds them when I am gone.
ReplyDeleteThat sure sounds like you did a lot of work and organizing. I'm sure it will pay off! I haven't even SEEN a handwritten letter in so long. I'm thinking I'll write one! Email has now taken the place of regular mail. NOT in terms of use, but in being too slow for the young folks today. Everything has to be INSTANT!
ReplyDeleteI've been going through my dad's papers since his death last June, and have found many treasures, including letters written by him and by my uncle during WWII.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest regrets in life is not holding onto the letters my grandma sent me. I have nothing much to remember her by and I often wish I at least had something in writing from her.
ReplyDelete