To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. (Phyllis Theroux)

Thursday Challenge
"Youth"

I went back to October for today's meme, but that's because I really like this photo of my girls. You can see how much fun the kids were having, messing around together at the pool. I'm still so happy that my oldest was able to come home for the week. I hate having her so far away -- I don't see here nearly often enough.

Recently she mentioned that we haven't been writing letters lately, either. Between Facebook (yes, she was brave enough to "friend" her mother -- but only after deliberating for quite a while), email, and unlimited minutes on our cell phone plan, any news is instantly shared. But she is my daughter, after all, and understands that there is something very special about receiving pages in the mail.

Now that she's pointed this out, I miss the letters too. When she first moved away, I made a point of writing long, silly letters to her on a regular basis. Sometimes there would be a treat enclosed (that's how my sock knitting passion started), but more often it was just a long, rambling monologue. Back then, I wrote lots of letters; my grandmother, a couple of friends, some relatives were all on my list of pen-pals. I still have a box filled with letters that were sent to me over the years.

I love the computer, and the instant access it gives us to our loved ones. But it's too easy, too mass-produced. Writing someone a real letter takes time, thought, love. It's tangible evidence that someone was thinking of you, specifically.

I think it's time to revive snail mail. I'll be mailing out a letter to my daughter this week. Does anyone want to be penpals?