FROM LETTER WRITING TO TEXTING
Our son from Texas faced-time us the other night and it was so good to see him and know that his family was fine. Our daughter called and we could talk about her family and how they were doing. I began to think about the time my brothers and sisters left home and the only way my parents had to be in contact with them was to write letters. There were no phones in the country, only in towns, which were from twelve to fifteen miles away. Those phones were party lines and usually it was very expensive to call from a pay phone.
Every Sunday night my mother got her stationary pad and pen to write to her children. My dad would tell her some information to tell them. Sometimes he would add a note, but was reluctant to do so as he was left handed and his teachers back then, forced him to write with his right hand, therefore his hand writing was very poor. He used his left hand after he got out of school.
She would ask if we wanted to add a note to our older siblings. We would scribble a few words about school or something exciting that happened on the farm or some new products in the store. Often our older sisters and brothers would send pictures of their families in the letters. That was exxciting as my parents could see how the grandchildren had grown or what activities they were participating in at school or the community.
When I went to college, I still had to write my parents each week. They would write me to tell me what time they were picking me up to come home. since I was the youngest, they expected me to come home almost every week-end to help with the store or written work for the business.
Today, parents are so blessed because they can keep in contact with their children by texting, cell phones, or face-time. I wonder what it would have been like when I was young to have had those conveniences. However I would not trade my letter writing for anything.
I love the convenience of keeping in touch with our children and grandchildren through the modern media. My, how times have changed! I remember the discussion of how one day we would be able to talk on the phone and see the person with whom we were talking. It is a reality and I have lived to experience it.
