A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds light and variable..

Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

While going back and forth about what to write this month, the topic of “old letters and cards” kept coming to my mind. No matter how many times I started to write about something else, my thoughts returned to those precious old letters that I have stored away from my daddy who passed away in 1998, as well as other cards and notes I received through the years from family members, friends, colleagues, and students. Sadly, some of these people are no longer living, so that makes those letters, cards, and notes even more special to me. I have no plans to get rid of any of them. Admittedly, that may sound strange coming from an organizer whose business revolves around downsizing.

Granted, in the past I have written on the importance of tossing out unwanted/useless paper items. However, old letters and cards are the exceptions that I would make to that get-rid-of-it rule. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating that you keep every single piece of personal mail that you receive; but I am encouraging you to tuck away those precious handwritten notes and letters from your parents and others close to you.

Telling you that seemed important. Someone could be wrestling with keeping or tossing old correspondence. Still, I wondered if I should write an entire column on the topic. Then, I received unexpected confirmation to do so one afternoon while glancing through the pages of THE EPOCH TIMES newspaper that had arrived a couple of days earlier. The article that caught my eye was, “The Preciousness of Old Letters” by Martha Beeghly. Allow me to share that article with you . . .

“When I was growing up in the ‘40s and ‘50s, I received and wrote to my dad (in the service), my grandmother who lived miles away, and family and friends. I met my husband while he was just leaving the Navy and we began exchanging letters. Then I went to nursing school and he started college and we began a year-long exchange, corresponding nearly daily. Through the years, my “letter list” grew, to my mother and brothers in Florida and several more family and friends.

After 64 years of marriage, my sweet husband passed away of COVID. It was then when I discovered my letters—yes, I kept all of them from friends and family and especially those of my husband—all 246 of them. I began reading his letters to me. It is hard for me to express the joy and comfort his letters have brought to me. How thankful I am that I kept his handwritten letters filled with so much love and great memories. They have brought him so close to me; I can almost hear his voice when I am reading them.

I recently told my sons, “If you want a good history of my life, just read my letters from your dad, grandmother, aunts, and my friends.”

There is something very precious about reading old letters, it’s like sitting down and talking with them once again.

Texting is just not the same, though I agree it does have a place and serve a purpose. I asked my granddaughter, recently married, if she had any letters from her husband. She admitted, “they were all in a cloud somewhere.”

Well, in closing, I wouldn’t take anything for my letters, and I would encourage anyone who reads this to handwrite at least one letter to someone, and perhaps you’ll receive one thing in return. (I’m re-reading mine for the second time.) I trust you won’t let “letter writing” become a “lost opportunity” in your life.

Incidentally, I still have some letters my mother received during World War II from her brother and friends, and I’m reading them also. What a treasure.

My personal view about re-reading old correspondence is much like Martha’s. For me, while reading the letters from my daddy, I can imagine him as he sat at his place at the kitchen counter; vintage, ‘60s black-framed glasses on his face; and a cup of coffee sitting beside him as he wrote to his “little girl” in Jacksonville. Even though many of his letters say much of the same thing, the most important part is that his time and love are captured inside each envelope. No, I would not take anything in exchange for them. Some things just do not have a price. I treasure my box of old letters, cards, and encouraging notes that span the decades—the ones I can still read and touch now and then. Without any reservations at all, I leave my space in the “cloud out there somewhere” for others. You may feel the exact opposite and that is “purrfectly” fine. “To Keep or Not to Keep” is a question for all of us, to which there is no right or wrong answer.

In next month’s article, we will examine more reasons why handwritten letters are so important—whether it ends up being kept or not kept by the recipient. If you would like to share the reasons why you think it is important to handwrite notes, letters, and the like, please contact me at: purrsonal.redesigns@live.com; 903-339-6101 (home/business); 903-284-0283 (cell phone). Your input is always welcomed.

Lynda (Pike) Litterst is a professional organizer in Jacksonville. PURRsonal ReDesigns was started out of her love for decorating and organizing. Visit www.PURRsonalReDesigns for a complete overview.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.

First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.