National Card and Letter Writing Month started April 1st and ends on April 30th. I'm so sad to see it go.
I've spent this month with all of my friends at the League of Extraordinary Penpals. I hosted two Facebook events that brought together some like-minded people and we shared and supported each other as we tried, and succeed in reducing our reply piles.
I've gotten down to where my reply pile is answered within 2-3 days after I get the letter. I think my pen pals must think that I've been taken over by some alien life form. I will admit that I wasn't taking the time to write back as promptly as I should have. I always wondered if I had enough things to talk about if I wrote back right away. But comes to find out that I did/do have it in me to write things of substance.
When I was in Jr. High School I went away to camp during the summer and before we left school I asked if I was able to write to my bus driver while I was away. She said she would be honored if I would. I wrote to her several times over the summer and when I got back to school she told me that I wrote like that I was right beside her talking instead of through a letter. That made me feel very good.
We talked in the event on Facebook about our first pen pal experiences. When I was in high school we had to choose a pen pal from a specific country but only two people could choose the same country. Trying to find something different became difficult for me so I said, "OK, we live in the town of Lebanon, PA let's pick the country of Lebanon." So I got a pen pal from there. It was nice talking to the young man. He and I talked into our early 20s until the post office where he got his mail got bombed. One of his friends was searching the mail piles for his own mail and came across the letter I wrote to him. He wrote to me and told me that it wasn't safe for him to write to me anymore and he'd write again when it was. I never heard from him again. I wish I knew where he was and if he was safe. I can't even remember his name anymore it's been so long.
In the group, Crystal told us her story:
When I was in junior high I moved from BC to Alberta. My still best friend Tammy got me some Disney letter sets, stamps, and pens. We wrote to each other. From there I was addicted.
I'd love to hear about your first pen pal experience, are you still pals with them today? Is your reply pile dwindling? I hope things are looking up for you as we prepare for National Stationery Week April 29-May 5th.
