National Letter Writing Day

Today we celebrated National Letter Writing Day.  Readers of Overlap, friends across the country and all of my students picked up their pens to write something important.

Instead of just texting our friends we took the time to write them something that'll make their day when it gets delivered in a couple days.

We wrote to people we'd lost touch with, friends that have moved away, people that have changed us for the better.

Everyone pulled out cards, envelopes, markers and pens, wrote till their hand hurt, searched for a stamp and found a mailbox. Snail mail is the best mail.

While Kata was working on her letter in class the girl beside her leaned over and said, "Are you writing a letter? I haven't seen someone do that in year." Kata told her about NLWD and encouraged her to write one too.

When I told my students we were going to write letters today I was astounded that most of them had never written a letter, didn't know how to address and envelope, and didn't know how to send it once it was finished. Today we learned. It was a big day.

There's just something about being able to see someone's handwriting, about a really fun envelope waiting among the boring junk mail, about opening the back flap really carefully so it doesn't rip.

Last night my friend Melissa showed me The Month of Letters Challenge and said she would do it if I did too. The writer Mary Robinson explains how she has learned that writing letters is intimate, relaxing, and lasting. She proposes this plan,

"I have a simple challenge for you.

1. In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs.  Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.
2. Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items."

Melissa and I are going to try it. We're two days strong-- 22 to go. Want to take the challenge with us?