Don’t we have an interesting history in letters? Sure, you could take this to the level of each A, B, or Z that impacts our history. What I’m referring to is the correspondence we give and get, and how that shapes our history. Yes, the fine art of letter writing. In the digital age, physical letters are less frequent.

My parents collected things during their lifetime. (Don’t we all?) One of their collections, though, I am extremely grateful for. They saved boxes of letters to and from my grandmother—about 5 years of correspondence. Most of it was letters she wrote to her mother; at least once a week, sometimes more frequently. She died when my dad was 2 years old, so I never met her, or her parents.

When my parents made their transition from their home to a smaller, more contained living environment, they shared these letters with me. WOW! I committed myself to reading those letters so I could get to know this part of my family whom I never met. Most of the letters date from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. A time capsule!