Yesterday I received a thank you note in the mail from a local company we’d hired to put a new roof on our house. When I saw the note in my mailbox I was stunned that someone in the company actually took the time to hand write a note on paper. “Thank you for supporting a local business,” it read. “Please let us know if there is anything we can ever do to be of service in the future.”
Now that’s one smart small business owner.
Clearly, handwritten letters have become a thing of the past. E-mail, text messages, blogs and social networking sites have made the simple act of putting pen to paper nearly obsolete. Sure, thank you notes are common following a big life event like a bridal or baby shower, wedding, or funeral, but when was the last time you sat down to write a letter just because you wanted to brighten someone’s day?
A few years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Lilia Fallgatter, author of The Most Important Letter You Will Ever Write. Lilia believes the best way to communicate your feelings to loved ones (and perhaps even customers and business associates) is by writing. “Good words are worth much and cost so very little,” she once told me. “They can even help re-establish or strengthen bonds.”
Samara O’Shea is another lover of ink on paper. Her two books, For the Love of Letters and Note to Self could convert the most time-starved among us. On her Web site, LetterLover.net, Samara writes, “[I’m] here to remind you that there is nothing—not a text message, not an IM, not a Facebook status update—that competes with the emotional connection made through a letter.”
Samara still has the first love letter she ever received. It’s from a boy named Mark, her crush from summer camp. I have a similar box of letters in the attic from the good old days in the college dorm. I cringe whenever I read them and yet I still can’t seem to throw them away. They feel a bit like historical treasures.
When was the last time you actually wrote a letter on paper? Do you have a stash of old letters you can’t seem to part with?
What a great post! It’s a lovely reminder. I get so excited when I receive handwritten notes in the mail.
Answering your questions, I have written several handwritten notes in the last few months, but I like this reminder. I will write more soon. Yes, I have an old stash of letters I save from when my husband and I were engaged and living across the country from each other twenty years ago. I love them.
I love handwritten notes so much that I make handmade cards to write them in and send them regularly to my friends and family. You might also be interested to know about the organization OperationWriteHome.org – volunteers send blank handmade cards to deployed military personnel that they can use to write home to their families.
I recently found the letters I sent home to my parents when I was in college–I wrote once or twice a week. What fun it was to read those–many were 4 pages long. I don’t know how I fit that in with classes, reading, and the other activities I did.
I try to write someone each week. There is something neat about writing with a flowing ink pen on real stationery.
Thank you so much for helping to spread the word, Erin. We letter lovers must stick together. The good news is I receive enough letters and e-mails from people saying that they, too, still love writing and receiving letters that I think we can keep the practice alive a while longer. I am encouraged by the comments here! Keep up the good work.
Warm regards,
Samara
Some friends and I were just commenting on how rare it is to get a letter or note that is not an e-mail. It is really special to get something handwritten. http://blog.sweetservices.com/sweetscandyblog/
Writing a thank-you note or letter seems to be a dying art these days. I think it means a lot to receive someone’s personal greetings in their own hand; this is why I enjoy taking a few minutes to pen a note of thanks to purchasers of my paintings and drawings. These supporters of my work are important people, dear to my heart, and I want them to know that!
I recently had a similar experience. After being with a rather large banking institution for my entire adult life, my husband and I made the decision to change to a local, community bank. I am a creature of habit, and this was not a rash decision.
We received a handwritten thank-you note from the bank approximately a week or two after establishing new accounts. The note thanked us for the opportunity to serve our banking needs and offered to assist us in any way possible to help with the transition. I was surprised, but pleased that our rationale for making the move was reinforced by such a simple gesture.
I think we should make a practice of reaching for the pen more often.
Great article and reminder!
Recently I wrote eight personal letters of appreciation (for their service and leadership) to former commanders of a Navy organization that went out of existence on its 70th anniversary. 11 March 2010 would have been the 75th Anniversary of the Naval Security Group (the Navy’s codebreakers). The oldest of these men is approaching 90 years old and some of the younger ones are in their 60s. Interestingly, within days of my letter, I received “thank you” notes from the older gentlemen and nothing (not even an e-mail) from the younger men.
I work every day to help people understand the value of handwritten notes and letters.
Thank you for keeping writing alive. Samara and I have exchanged thoughts on this subject. In 2009, I wrote nearly 500 cards and notes. One of my favorite quotes is “write more, die less”. Writing keeps us alive.
Like anything that requires a little more thought + work, handwritten notes signal importance. I hand write notes every single day + document a lot of these notes on my blog http://www.stylishcorrespondence.com. I also have a bulletin board at my desk where I post my most treasured correspondence so I can look at it whenever I want. Always makes me happy. Great post!
Erin – What a wonderful post. Handwritten notes truly are rare these days. I was similarly surprised last year when I received a handwritten thank you note from a sales associate at Nordstrom. The thought that she had taken time out of her day to write me a note made me feel good. Handwritten notes and letters create an emotional connection absent in electronic communication. Thanks for encouraging the practice.