I have never seen so much shock on my mother’s face when I dumped a whole suitcase full of letters and stationery products at her feet. My mom knew that I liked writing letters, but she didn’t realize that I loved writing letters. I have always loved writing and receiving letters and that has grown with me as I grew up, metaphorically and physically. My collection became bigger and bigger and sooner than later I had boxes of letters.
When I was 19, I had an opportunity to do a church service trip in Georgia. There I was able to learn and to grow right when I was entering the real world. You better believe that when I was packing to leave for the 18 month long trip I tried sneaking my stationery supplies, but due to weight limits and leaving in the middle of winter, I had to replace my stationery supplies with winter coats and warm boots.
Finding a Solution
When I was in Georgia, there was limited communication amongst my family and I. This was to help me stay focused. Luckily, I was able to make friends to help fill the void when I was distanced from my family. I still missed my family and wanted to feel like I was still a part of
their lives and visa versa. It was weeks of this feeling until I moved to this small town outside of Atlanta where I found my solution.
One day when I was out and about, I saw a store front with a bumble bee and was instantly gravitated to it. I thought it was a clothing store, but to my surprise it was a stationery store. A local artist had put together a small shop and was selling notebooks, stickers, cards, pens, you name it. I was in heaven! This reminded me about the stationery supplies I left at home and how I had the solution to feeling close to my family again.
I would rather not share how much I spent at that store because it was more than I should have. Luckily the products went to perfect use as I started writing letters to my parents and siblings. I even started writing letters to people I met and became friends within Georgia. I was sending letters every day and receiving letters every day. Within a month I had a whole box of letters and had become familiar face at the post office.
The Letter Girl
Everyone who knew me - knew me as “the letter girl” and it slowly became a trend. I started
to write the people who I met frequently, and they started to write back. During meetings where a lot of us interns had to meet up there were piles of letters and mail from everyone. Notes were being passed, stamps were being places, and envelopes were constantly being sealed all over Georgia. It became a way of communication.
Many memories followed from the initial first letter. I was able to meet new people through writing them. All the conversations were saved and a little a bit of the person’s soul was in between the lines or words. There were no superficial feelings, everything was raw. Everything was real.
Creating Memories
Through the course of 18 months, I was able to collect boxes of letters and supplies.
When it came to coming home, I had to decide what was more important, letters of clothes. It was an easy choice, letters. When I dumped them on the ground in front of my mom, it was like reliving all the memories I had lived and all the relationships I developed. The suitcase wasn’t just full of paper – it was full of written memories.
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