I saw this letter in my news feed and though it worthy of sharing. It's healthy to own up to things and admit when we're in the wrong. Those wrongs never really do go away, do they. They somehow manage to stick around and remind us of our sin as I'm sure A Sorrowful Citizen would tell you. It's not a bad thing for one to have a conscience in good working order; rather, it's very good, despite the discomfort it may cause. This makes me wonder, to whom do I owe a letter of apology?
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I came across a child's letter from camp and as it made me laugh I thought I'd share it with you.
Hi Mom and dad they are forcing me to write, but they can't make me tell you anything. VIVA LA RESISTANCE! The Lovely Anna of Billet Doux and Little Mercuries recently celebrated her four year blogoversary (Congratulations!!) by hosting a postal tea party and I am a happy participant. Thank you for including me, Anna! A thank you note is on the way. Not only is Anna a wonderful conversationalist, she is a fantastic hostess as well. True to form, everything about this party is lovely. A plain box and shipping tape would not do. Gifts must be wrapped. The contents were so nicely arranged they shouldn't have been disturbed. But of course I did and inside was everything needed for a tea party. My original plan was to enjoy tea with Anna after this fuller than full weekend which will see daughter's wedding and son's graduation from college but I now think that I may step out of the whirlwind of preparation this afternoon and indulge in some sanity. The gem of all this is the teacup. Did I tell you that Anna started me on a tea cup collection? That very first tea party she sent me several years ago was the start of it all. When I find a tea cup I'm interested in I always check the bottom to see if it's made in England. If so, I consider it a providential find and buy it. Mr. Duffy tells me I'm an Anglophile and it is perfectly true.
See what good things come from writing letters? Among the goodness are friendship, tea parties, and new hobbies to enjoy. Thank you, Anna! Dear Readers,
If you've written me in the last couple months you probably noticed you didn't get a timely response. The Duffys are in wedding season and Mrs. Duffy is presently gearing up for panic mode. With my daughter's wedding less than three weeks away I'm officially putting everything else on pause. So, dear friends, I'll be catching up with you in just a few weeks. Thanks for understanding. All my best, Mrs. Duffy Some time ago I received a gift of stationery goodies from a pen friend. They were all darling but one in particular promised to be a very nice enclosure with a bag of tea. I had written to Aunt Katie and thought how nice it would be to have tea with her. Inside the card I assured her that I would think of her as I had my tea. I often receive tea in the mail. Drinking it as I either read the accompanying letter or write its response is in my mind the same as having tea with that person who sent it. I do not know that Aunt Katie has ever received such a tea invitation but, if not, she will no longer be missing out. Shortly after penning my letter I sorted through the day's mail and discovered two cards. What a good mail day! The first one clearly contained an enclosure and my mind immediately though of tea but the bulk was too big for a tea bag. On opening the happy mail I found that it really was tea. I had received a very clever invitation to a baby shower printed on a large, transparent "tea bag." It reads, "A Baby is Brewing." Now, if that's not charming I don't know what is. The next card is not tea related but boasts a lovely embossed butterfly on the outside and very kind words within What a great mail day!
I've been writing to some of you telling of Mr. Duffy's and my upcoming plans to take a trip. Well, the wonderful event is now very recently in the past. If you've had a letter from me in the last few months you may know that at the end of April we celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary. To mark the happy occasion we took our first ever cruise. We took a short one to get our feet wet and figure out what we liked and didn't like about cruising or whether we liked cruises at all. Well, it turns out we liked it very much. We sailed from Los Angeles to Vancouver where we stayed for a few days in a town nearby out of the city before taking the train down to Portland where we saw old friends. But, while in Canada, we stayed in a resort hotel with a beautiful view and a wonderful area for walking. It was once a golf course. This is the view from the balcony of our third floor room. What's more, I wrote letters on the ship and mailed them from an ever so conveniently located post office near the hotel. Mailing letters from Canada shouldn't have been so exciting but it was. And then there was this darling little library on the ship which was too popular during the day but around dinner time I was able to settle into a seat and do some reading. There was a classics shelf which turned out to be all English literature and I introduced myself to Henry James by reading the introduction to The Portrait of a Lady. After reading the first paragraph I new I must read this book and resolved to by a hard cover edition. Prior to our trip I had been told about a no less than amazing bookstore in Portland that was said to occupy an entire city block. Powell's does indeed occupy a block and is large enough that maps are provided for visitors. Sections are color coded. Unlike most book stores, new and used books share shelf-space at Powell's and I was able to find a hardcover, gently used edition of The Portrait of a Lady. I could now return home satisfied. The next day our friends dropped us off at the airport to fly into LAX where we had left our car and some hours later we drove home tired but happy.
"Felicity" is one of this out of fashion words that one comes across only while reading old books. It means, "the state of being happy" but you probably already knew that. This Sunday afternoon is felicitous because I am writing letters. I am also using my light box and am in possession of two gorgeous new inks. Teal, though one of the more interesting colors, has been neglected by me...until now. Walden Pond is simply intoxicating to look at. Even my poor quality scanner with its inadequate representation of color can do no injustice to. But the paper is Tomoe River which shows any ink to its best advantage. My standard cotton stationery sadly won't show it off quite so well but it will still look lovely. I thought I would prefer Twilight Blue but Walden Pond has taken me captive. I have a new inky love.
I set up my light box recently to work on a project, namely wedding invitations! My daughter is getting married and has asked me to do her invitations. I have been happily practicing and working with guidelines which has inspired me to write letters using them. My first letter written today was not in fabulous teal ink but in dull black using a Japanese fine nib which gave it rather a dark gray look. The lack of color was disappointing but the letter was crossed which elevated the standard black ink to a level of quiet dignity. Quiet dignity can never be complained of. To add to the felicity I shall also read Jane Austen. No author's novels are filled more with letters or inspire one to pick up the pen then hers. It is from Jane that my vocabulary gained the word "felicity." I'll be sure to pass along any good words I acquire in her company. I wish you a felicitous day and a letter or two in the mail. Thanks to Jan at Of Bibles, Books, and Letters.... for her post on the bullet journal. This is brilliant! If you're a list person this three minute video will be a time investment. Check out their website too at www.bulletjournal.com In case you don't visit Lady Pamela's blog, The Lost Art of Letter Writing...Revived! (and you should!) I pass this on to you. This is a story of a family letter. It is a voice from the past, a record of of an important event, and a beautiful example of why letters matter.
The Lost Art of Letter Writing...Revived!: Letters as History: Baby Mail: LETTERS AS HISTORY My mother recently unearthed this most unusual letter... written to her father, my grandfather. M... |
Letter Matters
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