The other day I went to my mailbox and inside was a gift from a friend that was truly heartfelt. I have received many wonderful gifts in my life but when I opened this not only was it genuinely thought out it also brought back wonderful memories.
The gift was a beautiful packet of note cards.
Yes....in a world where we send emails, ecards and even pay bills on line I was excited about receiving note cards
I see you young people laughing at me....Let me tell you something!!! I worked way too hard in the 70's with the nuns over my shoulder learning good penmanship to learn how to write. You were not around but I remember as if it were yesterday the fear of leaving the number two pencil with the eraser on top to graduate to the fifth grade where the ball point pen and the scarey lines and curves of cursive writing began. I got scolded by Sister Bernice many days when her definition of neat and mine did not match.
I learned many years later how things in the penmanship world changed when I had my little fifth grade son handing in his pencil and grabbing my pens to head to school. I admit I turned into Sister Bernice when I felt his writing was sloppy. That did not last long however as his teacher scolded ME on parent teacher conference night to let him write as he sees fit.
I personally am happy I was taught to write neatly. While I do spend enormous amounts of time typing I do write in a journal every night. I cannot tell you how many filled books I have with memories written by me. I am not sure where these books will one day end up.
My Mom did not have a very nice handwriting however every now and then I stumble upon a card she sent me and I cherish it. As I write in my journals I think about how I wish she had written her thoughts and daily activities down in a book like I am. We think things like notes and cards do not matter but once you get older you realize they do.
There are many joyful moments logged in the pages of my journal along with sad ones. Generations were not there to see me sitting on a window sill in the hallway of my Aunt Hilda's hospital room as they freshened her up for the day. I remember watching the sunrise and expressing my feelings knowing that I was a few hours from kissing her good-bye. While it was happening I used that book as therapy to get me through a sad experience but now ten years later it is history for the future.
I smile at the stacks of journals of all shapes, sizes and designs stacked on my shelves. Some are written with ballpoint pen, some with marker and when necessary a number two pencil scratched the surface of the white page now and then too. Memories!!!
I have been given great opportunitues to share my story thanks to technology and by no means would I give it up. I get excited when I receive an email, text and a blog comment and a facebook thumbs up on a post makes my heart soar. Believe me I need social media intervention !!!!!! You will find me there on a daily basis. I can see Sister Bernice as I type scowling down that I should be grabbing a pen and notebook.
Sister Bernice may have been a touch to hard on us back in the day but I am glad she taught me penmanship. There is nothing in the world as good as holding a handwritten note.
I smile at the Christmas card I received from my now grown up son who in his not so perfect penmanship wrote Merry Christmas Mom! You are a blessing in my life! Priceless!
I now hit send and smile with happiness as I have another blog post to add to my cyber collection of memories to share today.
I will now shut down my screen, grab a pen and in my perfect handwriting thank the person who sent me these beautiful notecards for not only the heartfelt gift but the memory it brought back.
To the young generation reading this, dot the i's and cross the t's. Grab a number two pencil, a bic pen, a marker or crayon. It does not matter. Make it neat or sloppy! I dont care....Just please take a moment and write a note, card or journal a memory.
A little penmanship will brighten someones life today and while it may seem like nothing right now take it from me. It will be a cherished and beautiful memory one day.
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