Tuesday 29 April 2014

Tuesday's Tip ~ Snail Mail Day

Yesterday, a dear genealogy friend who I have know for about 25 years posted on her Facebook wall

"Imagine getting the country behind one day a year whereby they actually post a 'real' letter. Where children write to a friend or family member, or even perhaps they exchange letters with a class somewhere else in the country or even the world. Anyone in the world can do this.

S end
N yone
A n
I nteresting
L etter

It has become apparent to me that few people ever write a letter. Most of our children no longer know the excitement of mail arriving in the letterbox with their name on it. Many wouldn't even know how to write a letter to a friend.

As I recently sat and watched my 37 year old daughter and her friend sitting on the floor, surrounded by their children, reading aloud letters they'd written to one another as young teenagers, and laughing at the stories those pages held within, I realised what we are losing. All those memories and family history which is now either doesn't get recorded, or is stored on a computer. How much is lost when a computer crashes?

It made me think it would be a great idea to create new memories, and new experiences by having one day a year when we all send some SNAIL MAIL. June 13th is the anniversary of my dear Mum's death, and she was an avid letter writer, so what better day to get this going.

Please share this and let's make it happen."


After I read this post from Judi, I spent an hour or so looking through my files and found the letters I received from Judi, all the way from New Zealand. I pondered at the memories and the pleasure I always felt when I saw the envelope and the stamp and would take the letter to read on the train, as I took the daily commute to work.

What struck me as wonderful is that this project is in memory of Judi's Mum who passed away on 13th June and what a wonderful way to commemorate a lady so close to Judi's heart.

So in the spirit of friendship and a great project I am going to write a letter and mail it to Judi. You can write a letter to who ever you see fit to write to, but I am going to wander down memory lane with Judi.

Photo: Ohhhh the irony!
Pictures originally shared by Jamie Kennedy
Because the world we live in is so much driven on-line, there is a Facebook page for the project. Facebook and the internet, concepts that our ancestors, even more recent ancestors would simply be in awe of.

Then just as I was about to go to bed I looked at Facebook and spotted this picture and immediately thought of Judi and this project.

A copy of this post will also appear on "The In Memory of Quilt" 

4 comments:

  1. Julie
    A few weeks ago I rediscovered a letter I had written to my parents (both sadly no longer with us) whilst I was at university. It was fairly mundane stuff but it was so nice to find (even if it was something I had written). I shall keep it in the hope that a descendant may some day look at it in the same way I did with a letter written by my gt grandmother to my grandfather.
    Seeing someone's handwriting adds so much more meaning to any document as it shows something of who they are or were.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you Hilary. I have many letters written to me from friends and family members. Of course I have now inherited back all the notes and letters that Mum wrote to me, although was not a real letter writer. I also now have all the letters I wrote to my Grandmother. They are very special treasures.

      Delete
  2. June 13 is my father's birthday. I'm in. I was thinking about real mail yesterday, I think it was after seeing your cartoon on fb. I think I will start sending mail even before then. Of course, will they save it??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a quandary, but hopefully someone will save it. I spent some time this afternoon writing to Judi, and I shall add to it each day or so before sending it off at the beginning of June.

      Delete

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