I was out at lunch the other day in a friend’s home when most of the table gasped in unison! Bill, an old dear friend, declared that he would give his ‘right arm’ for just one love letter from his recently deceased wife Jessie. He wanted tangible proof of their love!

Although having been school sweethearts, and married for 47 years, he said that Jessie had never written of her love or feelings for him in a letter. Bill told us that such a letter would now be his most treasured possession; now that Jessie was no longer beside him.

This made me think about the kind of loving communication between couples of the Gen X, Y, Z generations – sending text messages in strange symbols, or speedy emails and quick phone calls; none of which you can take out to re-read over and over again.

I wondered whether the gentle art of expressing our most intimate thoughts and feelings by writing them down in a letter to the person we love and cherish is as old fashioned as high-buttoned boots?

How many of us take the time to sit down and write a letter from the depths of our heart to the ones we love – a REAL love letter (the kind that crooners sang about when I was a young thing), on special paper and in our own handwriting?

Here are my ideas for writing your own love letter:

• Practice on a spare sheet of paper first;
• Place a photo of your loved one nearby for inspiration;
• Start slowly by writing down everything you feel in your heart; you can always edit later;
• Write at least three things that you especially love about her/him;
• Always end with your thoughts and hopes for the future;
• Re-write your love letter on special paper (look for acid free to last forever), in your own handwriting, for both first and lasting impact.

You know, love letters are not just for young, courting couples. They are a very personal way to rekindle the romance in a marriage after the ecstatic highs of the honeymoon phase have dwindled into the ‘ho-hum’ of everyday routine.

Remember, the letter you carefully write with love today, can end up becoming a treasured personal keepsake.

Maybe I’ll write one for Bill!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 8:04 pm and is filed under Aunt Ruby Remembers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.