52 in 11

When my grandfather died last year, my mother and her brothers went through his home.  They sorted his possessions and determined what to keep, donate or throw away.  Among the treasures to keep were a stack of old letters, cards and miscellaneous correspondence.  From this pile, I received a few letters that I had written to my grandparents over the years.  Some were thank-you cards, others wrote about the mundane everyday occurrences in my life.  They had saved them.  They kept them all tucked away to read again.

Some days I feel like the art of letter writing is dying with the older generations.  Too often, I receive emails or text messages in lieu of a letter.  I enjoy writing letters, and like most people I enjoy receiving them.  I try to make sure I write letters.  I try to write cards or letters for no reason.  Small packages are also important to me.  I send them to my nieces and nephews filled with small things I find, which remind me of them. 

A few weeks ago I formulated a plan to mail letters on a regular basis to a few people.  I want to make sure they know I am thinking of them.  Then this past week, I read about a letter writing challenge for 2011.  It seems simple - write 52 letters or one every week for a year.  I decided to join.

My letter this week is actually a few letters.  I wrote expressing my thanks for the gifts I received this holiday season.  I enjoyed sitting down with my children to write our thank-yous.  We talked a bit about the people we would contact and how we felt about them.  I really look forward to writing more letters this year and with any luck I hope to complete the challenge.