But the importance of letter writing returned to me this week with a letter from Grace at college. It was on notebook paper with a pencil drawing of two kitties at the top, drawn by Grace. The words on the paper were the important part though. Grace mailed a letter because her aunt sent her a birthday check (back in January) and Grace needed to mail it to me so I could deposit it in her bank account. She said she didn't want to simply mail the check "and be all taking you for granted" so she wrote a letter.
"First off, I wanted to thank you for being so awesome," she wrote. Well, she could have stopped there, but she continued to name some times when she thought I was "awesome."
"Even though we talk pretty much every day, I still miss our walks and talks and mochas. I miss you and watching The Amazing Race together."
Me too. I cherish the times when Grace is home. And, although Grace and I talk about this, having it here in front of me means a lot.
After some reminiscing, Grace writes, "I think when I come home, you'll find me different, but in a good way."
Grace was pretty amazing when she left for school, but perhaps the way she has changed is in recognizing how amazing she is.
She ends her letter with "We're so lucky we have each other. You're my mom and best friend. Good combo? I think so."
Yes, this is a letter that I'll tuck into my letter box, along with the ones from my mom when I lived in France and the ones from my brother when I went away to college. Those letters helped cement our adult relationships. I can look back at them now and remember the hard times and the good times we shared. I can see how those letters built the relationships we have today.
I could not have imagined when I cradled that beautiful, bossy little girl in my arms that she'd grow up to be my best friend and a wonderful letter writer
6 comments:
How truly wonderful! It is so sad that there are mostly emails rather than letters, now. I love to put fountain pen to thick paper and just 'scribe' ... if that is the word ... it is extremely satisfying, as is being the recipient of a letter in the post. However, I have not done so for some time. I always write my books by hand, first, in pencil because I love the feel and to 'think' in pencil.
I enjoyed this post and your daughter is amazing to have kept up letter writing skills. You must be proud of her.
How sweet!! You are both very lucky!
Thanks also for that yummy carrot cake recipe. I can't wait to try it !
you make me cry. But i'm really happy that you guys have such a great relationship.
Well, it's not perfect, and we seem to really enjoy each other's company when we are far away and can't be together. ;) We do snap at each other sometimes when we're together. That's probably why teenagers go off to college, so you can love them all over again.
How nice to receive a letter like that and feel appreciated. I remember the thrill of receiving letters in the mail. Emails just aren't the same somehow.
I love this post, Paulita. It's so true about letters. I've gotten so anything my kids write, a card or even a little note they've left behind, goes in a keepsake box. I cherish every ink on paper word, probably because it's so rare. You're a lucky mama to have such a great relationship with your lovely daughter.
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