Reflections: Preserve art of letter writing

Ed Hungness

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Ed Hungness

May 15, 2011

By ED HUNGNESS Local Columnist The Record Eagle Wed Apr 11, 2012, 10:34 AM EDT

Officially it was spring but there was still snow on the ground, the lake was frozen and the winds were howling. It had been a long winter and I was restless.

Friends who lived downstate were already boasting how their daffodils were in bloom and buds were appearing on the trees. I wanted to work outside in the fresh northern air but there wasn't much that could be done until the big melt. Instead, I filled up the birdfeeders, fired up the heater in the garage (the man cave) and began a project I had been postponing for several years.

Over time we had accumulated a dozen bankers boxes full of old records. One never knows when the need to produce a 10-year-old paid receipt from the hardware store or the dentist might come up. I save everything and it was time for spring housekeeping.

Starting with the oldest box, I began wading through countless bills, statements and receipts. It didn't take long before I realized that 90 percent of everything was destined for the burn barrel. Why did I save it all?

As I reached the bottom of the first box, I discovered a bundle bound together with coarse twine. Upon closer examination I discovered that it was an assortment of letters, greeting cards and newspaper clippings mailed to me by friends and relatives. About to toss them into the wastebasket, I hesitated and then decided to explore a bit closer.

Mostly it was birthday cards and Christmas cards, which were interesting to look at, but my attention was mainly drawn to the letters.

Sitting there in the garage I began to read. I find it hard to throw anything away; especially a letter. It takes time to write a letter and the author must select each word and compose each sentence contained within. The composition not only communicates the intended message but also the mood and feelings of the writer.

In today's world, the written letter is almost a lost art. Instead, many people type abbreviated words, acronyms and incomplete sentences on their laptops, notebooks or smartphones.

The demise of letter writing began with the telephone. On very special occasions my folks would make a long-distance call that began by first dialing "0" to reach a local operator who then placed the call. Direct dialing of long-distance phone calls didn't exist; calls were expensive and usually kept rather short. Grandma had to be celebrating a birthday, Mother's Day or Christmas before she heard our voices on the line.

In between those special times, we wrote letters to each other. I can remember my mother receiving and writing letters to various relatives on a weekly basis.

As the cost of long-distance phone calls lowered and widespread use of email increased, letter writing began to wane. Now email is used even less because of the ease of texting, instant messaging and Facebook.

Proponents of this new era of communication tout speed and efficiency. It seems they don't have the same 24 hours in a day that our grandparents had. Are we really too busy to write letters to friends and family?

Letters can be read and enjoyed multiple times. They often record family history and special events that are described in detail by the author. Bound by a ribbon, they can be saved in their original stamped envelopes and stored in a special letter box or shoebox on the top shelf of a closet or under a bed. Future generations might find these written gems and delight in reading what life was really like for great-grandma and great-grandpa in the good-old-days.

Spending the rest of the afternoon reading old cards and letters kept me from finishing my cleaning project. Instead of tossing them in the burn-barrel, I bundled them together, tied them with that same piece of twine and put them back in the box. Some things you just can't throw away.

Ed Hungness and his wife owned their cottage on Fife Lake for six years before moving there after his retirement in 2005. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com.