Checking the mail box is a task I always anticipate with a mix of dread and hope; dread because there stands the possibility of receiving junk mail and bills, but hope because perhaps a handwritten letter will arrive from a friend or relative.

My mom always head me and my siblings write thank you letters after birthdays and Christmas. In fact, we would often receive a pack of cards in our stockings along with the more exciting chocolates and candy canes.

Cards are not fun stocking stuffers.

At that point letter writing was a formality, but I still went through with it because it was a kind gesture and because my mom made me.

My legitimate letter writing started when one of my close friends, Mary, moved away from Duluth to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I wrote pretty frequently for an 11-year-old, sending news about the various homeschooling events I was involved in. In return I would receive thick envelopes chock full of letters writeen in cursive, drawings of horses, postcards and even pictures of Mary playing her mandolin, her family, and her dogs. It was a small amount of "work" for a lovely payback. We communicated through her move from New Mexico to Georgia and stayed connected for so many years that when she came back to visit, we were still connected so it wasn't as awkward. Seriously, letter writing kept us as friends. And though of course in 2016 there are lots of options for keeping in touch, there's something to be said for letters that cannot be found elsewhere. I think it has to do with the intentional nature of a letter. It involves sitting down and taking time to say just the write thing (punny).

I am penpals with people within the US, but I've also gotten letters from as far away as the UAE, Africa, and Guatemala. Most of the letters I receive I save, so in my rooms I have large stashes of letters that I can read over and over again. Letter writing is becoming a lost art, as my supervisor told me recently, both in fancy things such as calligraphy and knowing how to format a letter to staying in touch in a more personal way. Letters are just not on people's radars anymore, except for the occasional Hallmark card. Regardless, letters still remain very valuable to me- they're personal and they're lasting. Snail mail is the best kind of mail.