The envelope above held a later letter from my grandfather postmarked 1965. I didn’t have the envelope from the 1957 letter described in this article. My grandfather, Robert Beverley Herbert, was 78 years old when he wrote the letter below to me, his seven-year-old granddaughter in Virginia. He was a busy attorney in Columbia, South Carolina, yet he […]
Note and Letter Writing
How To Teach Our Children To Write Handwritten Notes
Calling all parents and grandparents! At the risk of stating the obvious, children are not born knowing how to write personal handwritten notes, much less why or when they should think about writing them. Once considered an essential skill by men and women alike—and a treasure trove of vital information and insight into the past […]
3 Letters That Changed History: Letter Writing Day Dec. 7
December 7 is National Letter Writing Day That gives me a wonderful excuse to write about my favorite tool for connecting with others: the personal, handwritten letter or note. I’ve collected so many stories about people who were touched, encouraged, comforted or inspired by a personal letter at just the right time in their life. Today, though, I want to […]
Your Most Pressing Notewriting Questions Answered
It’s the fifth Monday of the month, so my editorial calendar calls for a post on notewriting, my favorite connection tool. I thought I’d just share a few of the questions I’ve gotten recently about notewriting. Is notewriting the correct spelling? The person asking this question thought it should be note writing. Since there is no entry of notewriting […]
Deliver This After I’m Gone: Why Write Posthumous Notes To Loved Ones?
2020 UPDATE: Since this was originally posted several years ago, I am unable to find this author’s website, so I assume she has closed the business (Heart Writing) she refers to. But her thoughts about writing a message for posthumous delivery is still very thought-provoking. There’s another service called SendWIG (Send When I’m Gone) that […]
Peter Walsh’s Tip For Reaching Out And Getting Back In Touch…Today!
You know who they are. They come to your mind from time to time. You get the nudge to call, write, or contact them in some way. But you don’t, and before long the guilt of not getting in touch weighs you down and makes it even harder to reach out. That results in emotional […]
Too Busy To Write Personal Notes?
Believe me, I understand what it means to be busy. It’s a reality of modern life, and the cultural pressures for us to strive for super-achiever status can be overwhelming unless we’re clear about our priorities. I’m very clear that one of the reasons I was put on this earth is to encourage and connect […]
Words, Words, Words
I’m honored to be a guest this morning on Karen R. Sanderson’s The Word Shark blog as part of her “Words, Words, Words Week.” My guest post is called “Words, words, words: tools for touching hearts and lives.” It was wonderful to reflect on letters and notes I’ve received in the past and to be […]