On Monday, the cost to mail a first class letter will go up by one penny. It seems not long ago that there was also an increase. No, I’m not writing this blog to complain about the price of stamps. I am simply thinking about letters of the past and how much fun they are to read, years after the fact. Letters transcend the times in which they were written. They reveal what people were thinking about and discussing. For example, my mother’s uncle was quite active in Veteran’s Affairs and in trying to get benefits for them. He often wrote of his challenges in procuring fair and equitable benefits.

Another set of family letters surround the fact that a family member personally knew a man who murdered two young women, and she had even attended the same school dances with him. And, oh, but of course, there were the love letters written by my Dad to Mom, sent along with his poetry.

At any earlier time, the fastest way to get news from here to there was via a telegram. Often, the sentences were short, choppy, and to the point. Some of those pieces of ephemera have stood the test of time, in this family, depending upon their importance.

There is no better way to understand the essence of someone that to read a letter by them. Some letters are too painful to keep. The memory of them is enough. Other letters are cherished, and yet others are destined to become a part of history … because they are written at the time of horrific, unimaginable events like war, or like 9-11.

Is $.42 too much to pay for a stamp? I think not. The rise of prices may be partially due to so many people paying their bills electronically, usurping revenue that used to go directly to the post office. To have our own mail delivered, right to our doors, every day, except for Sunday, seems to be worth the increased price of postage.

What is important to you today? Write about it! Who knows? You may even think about sending a letter – one that is destined to become family history years from now, when your great grandchildren will wonder whether or not you liked strawberry shortcake, what size shoe you took, or what you thought about a woman running for president. Life is in the details!

Patricia Cummings

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 11:26 am and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.