Letters for a life time...

i've heard that once a photo is ever posted on the web, it can never be destroyed. i know that letters written on paper are a lost art to many. We reserve snail mail for paying bills and sending resumes and applications, maybe obligatory Christmas cards or birthday well wishes. It just makes the hand written letter (the original reason mail was invented) that much more special.

Just like words you speak, words you write can never really be taken back. You can change your mind about them or the meaning or regret putting them to paper, but once out there, they are permanent. Maybe that's one of the things we like about letters. There's something in them that you can always keep, like a memory that doesn't fade.

i know countless people who keep boxes of letters and cards. i did all through my childhood and did it again in college. i recently tossed a whole bunch after reading through and enjoying some old memories. i kept a couple, including one my parents wrote me when i was in college and one they sent me in seminary.

Today i found a folder with letters i received my first summer of college while i was away at camp. Most were from an old gf. i had two from an old close friend and two more from two other friends. Out of all of those, none of them keep in touch any more. i'm sad, but also reminded of the people who are still in my life and still write me letters. And no matter what happens to any of these people in my life, i will likely have their letters for a long time.

i will probably be chucking most of this mail here, but it's nice to be reminded of the good things you have in life by the things you no longer do.