I received another letter from one of my Amish friends today. As I handled the long white envelope that arrived in my mailbox, I thought about how it had been in a home built in the 1700s and addressed to me in the same manner as if it were the 1700s—by candlelight. I slit open the envelope with my letter opener and unfolded the crisp, white paper with a smile of anticipation on my face. Seeing the handwritten words and knowing that I have in my hand the opportunity to “visit” with my friend always touches my heart.
E-mail, texts, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are wonderful. I enjoy those too. We can stay in touch with family and friends no matter where we, or they, are. But how often do we save or print out e-mails? Most of the new communication technology promotes brevity.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and moved to my recliner, ready to absorb the sights, sounds, and aromas radiating from those pages in my hand.
Even in this age of instant communication, there is something special about getting mail that you can hold in your hand, knowing that someone cares about you enough to sit down, take pen in hand, and share his or her life, thoughts, and feelings, then seal and stamp the letter or card and take it to the post office.
Do you have any special letters or cards you have saved that you enjoy rereading? Handmade cards from your children when they were little, with misspelled words and crooked hearts pasted with too much glue? Maybe a collection of special letters from a loved one, tied with an old-fashioned ribbon?
I could never give away the letters that have passed between my Amish friends and myself. But I can share one part of a letter I received recently. It read: Subject: AMISH VIRUS You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity nor computers, you are on the honor system. Please delete all of your files. Denki!
Another thing I can share is an Amish-made goody. I have a quilted wall hanging—sewn with the same care and thoughtfulness as the written letters I receive.
If you’d like to be entered into the drawing for the 17-by-18-inch wall hanging, all you need to do is leave a comment below.
If you’re reading this on one of my Facebook pages or Amazon or elsewhere, you need to pop over to my Web site, https://www.cindywoodsmall.com, and leave a comment on this blog entry.
The winner of the last Plain Talk Blog contest is Sandy Moritz of California. Sandy won an autographed book, a set of Amish-made potholders, and a box of Amish-made gift cards. Congrats, Sandy!
Note added by Cindy on March 12–WOW at the beautiful notes you all have written! I’ve been so moved by them, and I know many others have been too. THANK YOU!! I forgot to mention when the contest ends. I’ll draw a winner on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 and notify her (or him) via e-mail.
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