I have been sitting tonight weeding through email...I am not one that deletes something soon as I read it...I keep it...if it is personal...not saying how long I keep it, but I keep it a while. I don't know why....I very seldom go back and read it...but sometimes if I want to know when something happened, I can do a word search of my email and have the answer. Cause I share most of the happenings in our life with my best buddies.I have a couple friends that I grew up with...that we email back and forth. One more than the other most of the time...but still the one that is more like once a week still knows what is going on. I would be lost without email now. Before email, there was snail mail.
I didn't save a lot of snail mail....but above you see a collection of letters from my younger days. Before our first child was born, even. I was not quite 25 at the time I received most of the letters above.
I have been thinking about getting them out and reading them for a while now, so tonight while going through emails and re-reading them, I thought about these old letters and thought it a good time to drag them out. I only read a snitch here and there while I was taking these pictures, but oh, were we ever young then! Now keep in mind that this best friend also became my sister-in-law.
In one of the paragraphs I read, my niece who was not a year old, had had them up most of the night, and at 5:30 was yelling Mommy! Bottle! Daddy!....so that was how their day began. When I start to read them in earnest, I am thinking I will laugh and I will cry...I will probably need kleenexes...there will be more memories than my heart can hold.
i have a box of letters from my mother (and a few include notes from my dad too). they've both passed on - my dad about 25 yrs ago and my mom 7. i've never gone back to read them but will never get rid of them either...
ReplyDeleteNobody writes letters with paper and pen these days or at least not many folks.
ReplyDeleteToday it's email and text messages.
I'm like you I don't delete email often and it does need to be done. I have letters my husband wrote when we were away when dating but no others. What I have from a friend of 40 years is in my email. Much I really don't want to delete but know it will have to get done.
I'd much rather have tangible keepsakes like your letters. :)
"more memories than my heart can hold" - a lovely phrase Rose.
I think it's difficult to throw out some emails, that's for sure. I have a collection in my archives.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo...and I think the phrase, "More Memories Than My Heart Can Hold," would be the perfect title for your book!
ReplyDeleteHeck, I may even use that as the title of a country song!
You have something - not just talent - but some inner empathy with the world, something very special that I hope will be shared with the world someday!
Hi again, Rose.
ReplyDeleteI have written a poem called "More Memories Than My Heart Can Hold."
I plan to publish this on my poetry blog, Creative Confections, and would very much like your permission to use the photo in this post to go with the poem.
Would you let me know asap? You can email me at yanson74@aol.com.
Thanks. I think you'll like the poem. I'll give you credit for the title and the picture...
All the "things" of the past serve to bring up all kinds of memories...good and bad. But they are blessing in that it does remind us of where we've been and appreciate where we are...and going. Nice, random feeling shot of the letters.
ReplyDeleteOld mail is wonderful. I have letters my uncle wrote to my parents (he and my dad were brothers) while stationed in the army in Europe in WWII. Amazing letters.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that snail-mail letters can hold more memories than e-mail ever will.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel about those old snail mail letters. I really enjoyed reading the letters that Mom wrote to me while I was in the Army.
ReplyDeleteit's funny how letters seem to be a thing of the past. I only write to one person now, my neighbour from Britain. Everyone else I email or telephone. It is a dying art letter writing.
ReplyDeleteGill in Canada
Hi Rose, I have some old snail mail letters which I had written to my Mom. When she died, we found them.. Didn't realize that she had kept them... It's fun to go back and read them.
ReplyDeleteI keep emails also. I have folders for my special blog friends like you.. I keep your comments in there and your emails... After awhile, I will go back and delete some --but not too often.
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
Hugs,
Betsy
I have kept very few letters from the past, but I cherish the ones I do have. I wish I could reread all the letters my dad and I sent back and forth.
ReplyDelete