2015 A-Z April Challenge - L is for Letters

Today is the twelfth day of the A-Z 2015 April Challenge.  The letter for today is L and my L is for letters.  I love to write letters....you know the pen and paper kind.  There is something about sitting down with a pen and paper and pouring your heart out to someone. With all the new technology of today, the golden age of handwritten letters may be past.  But receiving a long, newsy letter is still a treat, and there are times when nothing but a mailed letter will do.  Whether handwritten, printed, or typed, the standard letter format hasn’t changed. Email, instant messenger and Skype are great....but there is something about reaching into the mailbox and having a piece of mail that is not a bill or advertisement.  You know, that special something that has your name handwritten on it that asks questions and tells you about what is going on in the senders life.  I love it!  When I was in school I had a lesson on letter writing.  We even got pen-pals so we could practice writing them.  I was in seventh heaven.  I have found out over the years that while letters are great....there are a few that need to remain unsent.  The Woe-is-me letter - the one that is full of  misfortune and unhappiness won’t give your reader pleasure and will leave him or her worried or depressed.   The Tell-all letter is one of those where sender provides way too many intimate details could eventually lead to embarrassment. It's ok to pour out your heart....just not empty it totally.  My least favorite is the  Gossip letter.  I am not a fan of gossip.  I feel it’s wrong to tell everything you know about someone’s trials and tribulations, so check your impulse to share.  My other least favorite is the Anger letter.  Bitter spoken words fade away, but written words stay on a page forever.  Put a letter written in anger aside before sending it.  Go back later and maybe you’ll soften the tone or decide not to send it.  So today I am going to challenge you all to sit down with a piece of paper, a pen, and write a letter to someone.  You might never know how that piece of mail will touch their hearts.  I am signing off....I am going to write Kat, my missionary daughter in Moldova, a letter.....she won't get it for a couple of months...but at least I took the time.