More Than Kisses, Letters Mingle Souls

I drove past the post office today and had an odd urge to go in. I didn't go in, but I definitely wanted to. It brought to mind my friend Becca, from California. Becca and I met in New York and became instant friends, and continued to exchange letters for a little while. We had plans for Becca to come visit the following spring with an internship-type program she was doing, but she had to quit because her father died and she had to help her family. Not too long after, I lost her address.

There is something special about getting a letter that is oh-so-more exciting than recieving an e-mail. E-mail is nice, yes, but a letter holds more than just the words on the screen. A letter says, "I took the time to hand-write every word on this piece of paper, find one of the last existing envelopes in this digital world, and pay some thirty-odd cents in order to get this to you." That's just special. In addition, you get to read your letter in the handwriting of that person, which is so personal compared to "Times New Roman" or "Verdana" or even "Kristen ITC".

My older sister, Emmo, exchanges letters with her friends constantly. Every time her friends are not home, the letters pour in, and her friends constantly are traveling, studying abroad, attending camp, or counseling at a camp. Japan, Germany, Alaska, Poland, Switzerland, various small towns... Emmo keeps all of her letters in a couple of different boxes, and when she lived at home, I liked to steal them and read them and pretend that they were to me. I loved those letters. Every one who wrote them put such personality into them: "Do you like the stickers? There is only one sticker left on the sheet for me to send to you!" "I found the cutest cartoon stamps! I am going to buy you some!" "Today I decided to write to you in green ink. Why, you ask? Because green is a good color."

I rarely get letters since Becca and I have lost contact. That is, I never get letters. I have a lovely collection of stationary (stationery?) that I keep in a mini-locker under my desk. Cartoon characters and stars dominate the collection, although I also have a few Fresh Inc. cards that I keep in case I need them. (FYI: Fresh Inc. = Best Card Company In The History Of The Whole Universe. Buy them.)

I also have a set of stamps that are themed Favorite Children's Books Characters. Emmo gave me two sets, but I only used one, wanted to keep one them, because they were so cute.

Stamps should not be kept in a locker. Stamps should not be kept in a box, in a book, in a folder, or in a frame. Stamps should be stuck to an envelope that contains an intimate letter, and shipped off to various corners of the globe to deliver messages to distant friends. Afterwards, they should be kept in a container with their envelope and letter, mingling and chatting with the other stamps, sharing stories of their travels and adventures, and reminiscing on "the good old days" when they were being flown about on a who-knows-how-this-will-end adventure with the post office.

I have decided that before next week ends, I will try to find Becca's address again, and if I do, I will write her a letter--with a Favorite Children's Book Characters stamp. There's nothing saying she misses me or that she's not content with the friendships she has at home, but there's nothing say she doesn't need another friend right now, or that she's having an easy time of it with her dad gone. I'll just have to remember to ask her to please not throw away the stamp. :)

<3 o.

p.s.: The quote in the title is by John Donne.