Love Letters

I am the last of that generation that grew up knowing what a rotary phone is, or that tvs and computer monitors used to be huge and bulky and not slim/flat screen.  There are numerous other things like no seat belts, no bike helmets and no cell phones or internet and the mix tape.  All of these things are pretty big changes now.  Some of these changes are good, even if they can make life more complicated at times.  It's not always a good thing that your boss/family can reach you 24/7 but then it's nice to always have a phone with you because you never know when you will be stuck with a flat late at night near a part and that guy with a hook hand is coming for you.  Assuming you have cell coverage that situation just got a lot less scary.  If you don't have cell coverage... eep!

Henry the VII knew how to
woo the ladies

Then there are sentimental things that are no longer taking place, like the writing of love letters.  Email and text messages have pretty much done away with snail mail correspondence anyway.  I'm not saying it's not nice to get the "I <3 u" text or sweet email because it is.  It's just different than going out to the mail box and having a handwritten letter from someone you love waiting for you.

Remember in Grease when the Pink Ladies were having the sleepover at Frenchy's?  Marty was writing to stack of pen pals and offered one to a sad Sandy to cheer her up.  Before Sandy went off to write her letter (which actually meant she was going to go off and sing a song) Marty spritzed the pink paper with some of her perfume.  Girls don't do that anymore.

I still have a keepsake box that has special little tokens and things as well as a few love letters from my hubby.  I can't help but think that my nieces may miss out on something like that.  One is old enough to text, the other is still in diapers.  It's harder to look back at text ten or twenty years later.  I love being able to open my little box and see the notes and cards.  I have letters from people no longer with us anymore, which are just as precious to me as my love letters.

It just seems sad that future generations are missing out on sentimental things like this.  I am going to cherish the ones I have and make sure I tell my nieces about the time their uncle sent me the sweetest card...