Do you write letters anymore or do you just email?

[SummerHarvest]

I like to write letters, but I must admit that since e-mail has come out I usually write e-mails.
I recently received my Grandmothers letters, recipes, and such. I am the family genealogist and they were given to me to see if I could find information. I was reading through the letters and realized I was getting a picture of the dynamics of the family relations. I was able to determine who was saved and who probably was not. I also was able to grasp how they felt about one another. In one case I could see how much a mother and daughter loved each other, and in another case I learned how two aunts just weren't ever going to be best friends; but over time grew to love each other for the sacrifices and care of loved family members. I read about shared sorrows. Over the years I have been privy to letters from both sides of our family. I learned how my husband’s parents meet and fell in love, and I also learned that my grandfather was saved as a seven-year-old child.
I thought how sad that these treasures will stop. Our generation won't be passing down this particular treasure for our families. After all we don't print and keep our e-mails. So, you guessed it, I decided to print the letters that are e-mailed to me. (Only genuine letters) I also decided to be more diligent in writing hand written letters. I have always written certain Aunts and Uncles because they just refuse to catch up to the computer age. But I have also begun to write hand written letters to my mother (who has a computer) and others that I often e-mail. An unexpected benefit occurred, I have been able to witness more and share more of God's principals in a very private, personal way. (I know you can witness through the computer). I found that People feel like I care more about them because I took the time to write a letter. They receive it as being much more personal and thoughtful. It has been wonderful.
I was wondering if any of other ladies have run into anything similar. Where you realized that a modern convinces may not be the best opportunity.

[Sis. Kristie]

I do still enjoy writing letters very much. There have been some occasions that I printed e-mail letters, but not many. That would be a good way to hold on to letters that are special and you want to save. It takes more time and effort to hand write a letter and so I reckon I am old fashion in thinking the hand written ones are more special.

Your post was thought provoking, If I get something special e-mailed to me I hope I remember to print it and save it.

I am so thankful that we atill have the written Word of God.
Pilippians 4:4

[Jerry80871852]

The thing is, even if I still hand wrote a letters, no one would ever be able to figure out if I was saved or lost, simply because they could not read my handwriting, its terrible, even I have much trouble reading it.

That said, I didn't write many letters, but now when I do, I write them on my computer, run a copy off with my printed, them send it on its way.

Plus I save everything on my computer to my 2nd hard drive

But if that 2nd hard drive happens to keep on working and some one some day goes thru it to try and find something out about me, they're going to say, he sure kept everything in a big mess, which will be true.

May the Lord Bless,
Jerry

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful
works to the children of men! Psalms 107:31

[IM4given]

Well, I am back to the old fashioned letter writing days - if anyone wants me to send them a letter just pm and I will get to it the next time I am at the library!

[LiteSong]

I never was much for personal letters (to my chagrin) but Emails have been much more productive and frequent for me, in contacting loved ones friends and old friends alike!!

[Bro Nobody]

Only email here. Cost WAY too much to send mail from here. Its about $3 per lbs from the USA, but $25 per lb to mail back.... I could never afford it in the volume of emails(letters) we send.

[Jerry80871852]

And just think, the U. S. Postal service is thinking about going to a 5 day week because there is not as many letter being sent thru the mail, they blame it on emailing. That's OK, we can communicate daily by email at a much cheaper rate, them hear back from that person the very same day.

[SummerHarvest]

Your right email is very effective. It is a blessing to recieve and send emails so quick.

[candlelight]

I used to write letters all the time when I was younger. Yes, e-mail is much faster. It is actually good for my hands... b/c arthritis runs in my family.

This is the way "Big Brother" has us hooked, though. My MIL loves to write letters the old-fashioned way. She will pay postage and finds it more personal with handwriting. My mom would write letters, as well... until she moved to Wooster, OH to live in her senior facility last February.

[Jerry80871852]

The last time I wrote enough letters to speak about was when I was sent to Anderson AFB, Guam in September 1968 after having gotten married May 18, 1968., of course those letter were to you know who. I surely could not afford to call her up on the telephone from Guam.

I believe during that 120 days I talked to her 3 times on the phone. Once the day I arrived to left her know I was safely there, again Christmas Eve, them in early January when I found out the day I would leave for my home base.

I believe she has every letter I wrote to her, and every letter she wrote of me, packed away safely.

Sure would have been nice to have had emails in those days, but them we would not have those letters to pull out and read thru every 5 to 8 years, they do bring back precious memories.

May the Lord bless,
Jerry

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Josh 24:15

[Upholder]

Jerry80871852 Wrote:The last time I wrote enough letters to speak about was when I was sent to Anderson AFB, Guam in September 1968 after having gotten married May 18, 1968., of course those letter were to you know who. I surely could not afford to call her up on the telephone from Guam.

I believe during that 120 days I talked to her 3 times on the phone. Once the day I arrived to left her know I was safely there, again Christmas Eve, them in early January when I found out the day I would leave for my home base.

I believe she has every letter I wrote to her, and every letter she wrote of me, packed away safely.

Sure would have been nice to have had emails in those days, but them we would not have those letters to pull out and read thru every 5 to 8 years, they do bring back precious memories.

May the Lord bless,
Jerry

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Josh 24:15

My wife and I lived a long distance apart before we were married, and we used to send each other letters regularly. It was before I had access to a computer, so the letters were the real type; the good old snail mail! I think the waiting and anticipation made each letter all the more special. It was nice to open the letterbox and see the familiar floral coloured envelope inside. With computers, everything is so instant these days. People don't know how to wait anymore, they want things right now! Admittedly, I wanted to get married ASAP...but that was different, surely? We still have all of each other's letters. We use email now most of the time now, and rarely write letters anymore, though. The only thing I really don't like about communication via computer is that people sometimes have a tendancy to "dumb down" their spelling and punctuation. Not a big fan of smilies, either. ...er, oops!

Another thing about emails, a fiancee can't put a dab of perfume on the paper anymore!

[SummerHarvest]

Upholder Wrote:

Jerry80871852 Wrote:The last time I wrote enough letters to speak about was when I was sent to Anderson AFB, Guam in September 1968 after having gotten married May 18, 1968., of course those letter were to you know who. I surely could not afford to call her up on the telephone from Guam.

I believe during that 120 days I talked to her 3 times on the phone. Once the day I arrived to left her know I was safely there, again Christmas Eve, them in early January when I found out the day I would leave for my home base.

I believe she has every letter I wrote to her, and every letter she wrote of me, packed away safely.

Sure would have been nice to have had emails in those days, but them we would not have those letters to pull out and read thru every 5 to 8 years, they do bring back precious memories.

May the Lord bless,
Jerry

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Josh 24:15

My wife and I lived a long distance apart before we were married, and we used to send each other letters regularly. It was before I had access to a computer, so the letters were the real type; the good old snail mail! I think the waiting and anticipation made each letter all the more special. It was nice to open the letterbox and see the familiar floral coloured envelope inside. With computers, everything is so instant these days. People don't know how to wait anymore, they want things right now! Admittedly, I wanted to get married ASAP...but that was different, surely? We still have all of each other's letters. We use email now most of the time now, and rarely write letters anymore, though. The only thing I really don't like about communication via computer is that people sometimes have a tendency to "dumb down" their spelling and punctuation. Not a big fan of smilies, either. ...er, oops!

Another thing about emails, a fiancée can't put a dab of perfume on the paper anymore!

Your children and grandchildren will love those letters. I love to read the ones between my grandparents during WWII. Oh, I had forgot about the dab of perfume......that's a great memory that has gone wayside. They are precious. I agree with you on the "dumb down"....I also think we can be impulsive with emails. If we are angry we tend to not think before we type....then once it is sent it is too late.

You know what I noticed. No one has answered the last line of my original post. "I was wondering if any of other ladies (men) have run into anything similar. Where you realized that a modern convinces may not be the best opportunity." Email is great but loses some of the opportunities of letters, I was wondering if anyone came across any other modern convinces that although it is a great convinces it has taken away an opportunity, or heritage. My grandfather loved records; hated tapes. Said that tapes took away from the music. It was a modern convinces that he thought lost some of the romance of music.

Theresa[/color]

[Jerry80871852]

No doubt, while at Anderson AFB Guam I really looked forward to reading Linda's letters. I would leave the barracks with it pouring down rain to make a trip to the mail room in hopes I had a letter from my wife waiting on me, it surely made the day. I suppose I made one trip to the mail room every day I was there, it was the highlight of my day being as we who were there TDY were working 12 hours on, 12 hours off, 7 days per week.

Linda and I did not date very long before we got married. I was in the Air Force at the time I met her home for Thanksgiving 1967. That afternoon before driving the more than 300 miles back to my base I made a date with her, but had to cancel it because we had an alert to hit base, so Christmas Eve was our 1st date. From them to May 18, 1968 when we married I believe I managed to sneak in about 5 times, maybe 6 times. In fact our last date before we married which was going to be a trip to the court house for our marriage license got canceled by the Air Force. Linda and her mother went to the court house and took care of it with her mother paying for our marriage, her mother signing my name. I've had many precious moments with both Linda and her mother about that day. But, it seems to have worked out quite well.

Before Linda's mother died, I asked her many times what if I had not been the person you and Linda thought I was, neither of you hardly knew me, I could have been a real bad person. She would tell me, "I never gave it a 2nd thought, I had complete confidence in the one my daughter wanted to marry."

No doubt, for many email is dumb down time, lazy and impolite. Even after a few years of it, I still haven't got use to it and I have tried hard to keep from letting them influence me to do the same.

I always try to address my emails to the person I'm sending it to and at the end put a signature, the signature is so easy with Outlook Express, I've got 18 signatures along with a Bible verse on each one of them that I can easily insert into my emails just as I have been doing with my post on this message board. To I try to break it up in paragraphs, for it does make it so much easier to read.

I like some of the smiley faces. But I do see some Christians use some which I think they should not, for instant the one that is throwing up.

May God bless,
Jerry

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17