Writing letters

Although I read Newsweek to help me stay on top of current events, one of my favorite sections is the My Turn column, in which average people write some short article. The topics range from serious to not so serious, but they are generally good and sometimes insightful.

In the April 17, 2006 issue, William Shaw, in his article titled We Had the Love, But I Long for the Letters, remorses that he and his wife never wrote letters to each other. She is gone now and he has photos, but

The memories that pictures and souvenirs produce are marvelous, and I wouldn't part with them, but what I don't have, in black or blue on white, are her thoughts.

He makes an interesting connection to our modern technologies.

What I'm trying to say is that our lives have changed. That special something in a personal letter has disappeared with the advent of telephones, airplanes and now e-mail—which is impersonal and limited by the lack of what I shall call "personal ambience."

Recently, my wife and I wanted to write a letter to a physician who we felt provided us a great level of care during complications my wife had in our daughter Molly's birth. Although I work in a technology related field, my wife does not. She barely uses a computer. I went to pull out the laptop to compose this letter, and my wife looked at me puzzlingly. She couldn't put her thoughts down on a computer. She needed to take a pen in her hand and write it out on paper. I am just the opposite. Between my poor handwriting and the rarity of needing to write more than a few notes, I am almost physically incapable of writing a letter with pen and paper. The last time I did must have been 10 years ago. Now, I compose everything in front of a PC.

I am thankful I don't need to write out on paper, but I do agree with William's general sentiment. Think of it this way: pulling out an old typewritten letter doesn't have the same "feel" as one in the person's handwriting.

Most of the letters that I did write were in college. I'd be curious what college kids do today. Text message and IM I guess. You can't reminisce with that.