I got the sweetest letter today from Mercina. It came in a cheery zigzaggy envelope -- I think she folded it herself -- and was just brimming with the dearest sisterly affection. A perfect Canadian leaf slipped from the card when I opened it. I think I shall treasure it for a very long time.
Sitting in my kitchen and reading about my sister's feelings, written with black ink by her own delicate fingers, was so very tangible and satisfying. It unleashed a flood of memories from my own mission in Hungary -- what a wonderful, challenging and deeply meaningful chapter that was for me. I thought about the letters I wrote and received in Hungary, especially from my once and future Dave. I went back a read a few of his notes tonight. It is so sweet to remember how much we learned about each other from those many, heartfelt missives. Three kids and 8+ years of marriage later, I can see him even more clearly between the lines.
I came home from Hungary just about 10 years ago, and I haven't written nearly enough letters since then. Email is so easy. The concise efficiency of text messaging is a dream come true for those of us who can't have a five minute conversation when an hour would do. I can say hi to everyone I know with a quick click on Facebook. Sometimes, I even blog! And I'm not going to apologize for la-la-loving all that easy, cheap communication. But I'm not going to apologize for loving a good old fashioned letter with a stamp about a million times more. I'm going to try to indulge in them more often...
