“Crumbled papers lay scattered across the office floor. Tears brimmed the edge of her eyelashes, ready to cascade down her cheeks at any given moment. Where do you begin to write a handwritten letter to the father you’ve never met? Do people even write letters anymore? But Mila knew, in her heart, these words must be sent. She desperately needed to uncover her story. Regardless of the consequences, being raw and possibly disappointing, the truth had to be dug up.

It had been years of searching through any tangible piece of her past, in hopes of discovering where her life began. Mila was an old soul, though not yet having reached her twentieth birthday. If you knew even a fragment of her personality, you couldn’t deny she was old-fashioned in her beliefs and in her appreciation of the small details of life.”

Letters are a lost art, as if they have been tossed into an old shoe box and tucked away in the attic where the box forms a layer of dust an inch thick. Reading a handwritten note allows us a glimpse into a person’s heart. We imagine their frustration as we see the how the pen has been pressed hard against the lines of the paper or how their pain where the words begin to fade as tears have soaked through. Writing a letter demonstrates commitment and love for the recipient as you take time to read through the words chosen to convey specific emotions. A story is unfolded when a letter is written and again when it is read.

Consider the letters throughout history that have shaped people’s lives. Correspondence by government officials regarding major events, a love letter to a spouse overseas during wartime, or a suicide note left behind to explain actions…each of these are critical to understanding the whole story.

Advancement in technology has granted us speed in the writing and also in the delivery of information due to emails and texting. However, parts of the story that are conveyed through emotion are lost because of the impersonal nature.

I encourage my readers to take the time to sit down and pen a handwritten note. I believe it will not only impact the person who receives your letter, but also you as the writer. Enjoy the art of letter writing. It could be written to show support of a cause, allowing someone to know you believe in them, or sharing a memory with an aging grandparent. The written word is powerful. We make history every day; maybe, just maybe your letter will be filled with words that have the potential to change the future.