Stationery

"With fond affection true
I write these lines for you;
By this token you may see
I still remember thee."
                 ~unknown

    When I first started taking lunches to school my Mum would tuck a little note or card inside with my sandwich. The message was usually short, sometimes only three words "I love you!", but I looked forward to it everyday. I have a box now where these little love notes are stacked and I bring them out now and then when I need cheering up or a reminder of how much I have to be thankful for. Letter writing is approaching extinction you could say. I have a small file on my phone with a dozen or so text messages I didn't want to delete and a few emails that have made it to the printer but they just don't seem to have the same value as the letters and cards I have received over the years. Maybe it's the tangible quality of letters. The time taken choosing the card or stationery. The fact that today a hand written message might be considered a novelty! Museums treat ancient and antique documents and texts with reverence and care, perhaps more because they house memories that are worth preserving than their material worth. The letters I have kept are certainly a portion of my history and a reminder of all of the love the frenzy of my mind sometimes lets me forget. We need reminders. I collect beautiful cards and paper because I know I'm not the only one who loves to be given them! Sometimes short of being near someone it is enough just to hold a piece of them in your hand...

Drawing by Jennelise