Back and Forth

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company." (Lord Byron)
"Then letters came in but three times a week: indeed in some places in Scotland where I have have stayed when I was a girl, the post came in but once a month,--but letters were letters then; and we made great prizes of them, and read them and studied them like books.  Not the post comes rattling in twice a day, bringing short jerky notes, some without beginning or end, but just a little sharp sentence, which well-bred folks would think too abrupt to be spoken."   (Elizabeth Gaskel, My Lady Ludlow)
"I consider it a good rule for letter-writing to leave unmentioned what the recipient already knows, 
and instead tell him something new." (Sigmund Freud)
Frankie lives but a few miles up the road from me,
but her health and age limit her social life.
When I discovered this, I became more intentional about letter writing.
Back and forth; back and forth.
I'm not sure which one of us enjoys it more...
"A little groundhog came up the ramp to my door last week--
Guess he just wanted to say 'hello'--"
"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart." (Phyllis Theroux)
"Hoping you's will have a nice July 4th.  I'll spend my 4th at home--"

“Becoming an effective letter writer means analyzing each situation individually and choosing the form of correspondence accordingly.”  (Scribendi, How to Write a Letter)

6 comments:

  1. How sweet you and Frankie are corresponding even tho she lives but a few miles away. I enjoy letter writing too. Let's all encourage and take part in this almost lost art.

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  2. Oh, what a touching post! I think something is being lost for sure in the lack of letter writing. So many reasons for declining letters, not the least of which is that people won't take the quiet time to do it! When I read the collected letters of Willa Cather or poet May Sarton, I wonder what scenes of daily living will be left behind for the archivists from emails, texts, and Twitters!!!!! Hope you are having a nice Fourth of July today.

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    Replies
    1. Ending it (the 4th) quietly. We re-created a flower bed this morning; then this afternoon my husband officiated at a wedding & I played the piano. Glad to be home now with our feet up....

      Yes! You're so right about W. Cather or May Sarton's letter, for instance...

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  3. Hi Rebecca,
    What a good post. You are so right about the importance of writing to someone, especially someone
    that is shut it, as it probably was the highlight of her week, and like you say, it is very enjoyable
    to the writer as well. I had tons of pen pals when I was a kid, and always had mail almost daily,
    and loved every minute of it..........blogging and getting comments is sort of the same, just
    most comments are short..........love the long ones when someone shares what is going on
    with them too, just like yours today when you told me your hubby was officiating a wedding
    and you were playing the piano.
    To update you..........thanks for you empathy about Susan. Well, she had surgery on Friday
    and is really doing quite well.......they actually had her sitting up today for quite a long time,
    longer than I think she should have maybe as she was feeling nauseous, and they had her
    walk some, this time she is allowed to put her full weight on it already...........Probably Monday
    she will be going back to the rehab center. Bless her heart! am hoping her recovery goes as
    well or better than last time. We only have 6 pets to care for this time. We will be putting the dogs
    in the kennel this time, which will spare us a lot of energy as we will only have to go down once
    a day rather than 3 times..............
    Well, hope you had a nice 4th, ours was nice and quiet, just what we needed........lol
    Take care hon,
    Love and Blessings, Nellie

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  4. I personally feel that letter writing has become a lost art, I don't do as much as I used to, but am always telling myself, that I really need to do more, especially since I have so many family members living so far.
    Enjoyed the quotes you shared!
    Thanks for the reminder of this important communication.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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Writing a Song a Week #3

Writing a Song a Week #3
♪ I wait for the Lord; my soul waits and in his word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning ♪ (Psalm 130:5-6)