Marriage Moats-Letters

Published: Tue, 11/20/12

Marriage Moats

Caring for Marriage

I watched a four minute TED Talk by a young woman who believes in hand written letters. She writes to strangers, both to connect and to harness the power of the pen. She posits that her generation, the one that had Facebook and Twitter accounts before they could properly spell stationery, is hungry for the physicality of an epistle.

One time in marriage group we invited couples to write to each other. It is a simple enough idea, despite its rarity.

I gathered the stack and mailed them a few months later. I was not privy to the responses of the rest of the group, but I know that I cherish the sight of John's script. I saw it plenty when we were engaged, since our distance was the catalyst for almost daily scribing. But these days a written note is far less common than a typed one, and much as I welcome a text it does not feel alive.

Benjamin loved to write when he was four. He used serifs on his letters, taking pains to include flourishes. He would create fancy fonts with Legos, which are not well suited for curves, and did not skimp on adornment.

There is a woman who gets my newsletter who has asked if I would please hand address her envelope, rather than use a printed label. It is a small thing, so I try.

Perhaps I will compose a letter to John today. The process has a way of giving permanence to my attention that outclasses Gmail and even Siri. I will leave it in a pocket of his coat, so that when his hands slip inside to escape the November chill he will find warmth for his heart too.

Photo by Jenny Stein

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