This morning I went out to my parents house. Their house is now filled with items that belonged to my grandmother Virginia. Memories upon memories of what an amazing life she lived. So many collectable items like this typewriter from a life much more simpler than the lives we live now. My grandmother kept everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. After she passed, we of course had to go through her belongings and it was like opening this amazing time capsule. She kept all of these letters from everyone. From friends and family that back then, the only communication was by letter. It made me stop and think about what it would be like to live during a time where if you wanted to talk to someone miles away, you had to write them a letter.
I found a letter from my mom to her (sorry mom) talking about the new house my parents just bought, and a hand drawn map was included. My grandparents were going to come visit my parents in their new house and needed to know how to get there. There was no mapquest, or GPS to help my grandparents find their way. They weren't able to call from their cell phone if they got lost, because they didn't have a cell phone. They would rely on this map my mom mailed them with this hand written letter.
With how easy it is to communicate these days, you can stay in touch with friends and loved ones without even speaking to them. Email, text, blogs, and social media are now how we communicate with one another. After I pass away, my grandchildren wont have any old letters to read from my life. They won't be able to envision what my life was like in the way that I can envision my grandmothers by those letters she received. These letters to my grandmother allow me to get wrapped up in the life she lived when she was my age. I am forever grateful for her, and her letters.
