The Merits of Snail Mail
When the digital variety fall short46 total reviews
Comment from CrystieCookie999
I liked reading this non-fiction personal essay. I agree with so many of the ideas presented here. The story of your brother keeping four years' worth of your letters was really strong. And the piano students' observations are priceless. Maybe most of us who still like 'snail mail' best also have better memories of it, like cards from grandparents or friends who had moved farther away. In the past few years I've been substitute teaching, it seems like I have never seen a lesson for children on how to write ordinary, everyday letters. They did, however, have a lesson in one fifth grade class on how to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper--by email. I just hope knowing how to send snail mail does not go the way of cursive in the public elementary schools, becoming more of a rare curiosity rather than required every day from third grade onward.
reply by the author on 29-Jan-2025
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I liked reading this non-fiction personal essay. I agree with so many of the ideas presented here. The story of your brother keeping four years' worth of your letters was really strong. And the piano students' observations are priceless. Maybe most of us who still like 'snail mail' best also have better memories of it, like cards from grandparents or friends who had moved farther away. In the past few years I've been substitute teaching, it seems like I have never seen a lesson for children on how to write ordinary, everyday letters. They did, however, have a lesson in one fifth grade class on how to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper--by email. I just hope knowing how to send snail mail does not go the way of cursive in the public elementary schools, becoming more of a rare curiosity rather than required every day from third grade onward.
Comment Written 28-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 29-Jan-2025
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Thanks for this, Crystle; I really appreciate this affirming review.
Like you, I SO hope snail mail does not become as obsolete as spats and the handlebar mustache! It's such an important form of communication.
xoxoxo
Comment from Barry Penfold
An absolutely wonderful story. I totally agree with your assessment of the power of snail mail. The story reminded me of many occasions when I used to write to my grandmother and friends who had gone overseas. I still have copies of some of those letters and of their replies.
Emails are fleeting and whilst conveying the same message, fall down when it comes down to real memories and conversations.
Thanks for the read and memories. Well Done.
Regards
Barry Penfold.
reply by the author on 28-Jan-2025
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An absolutely wonderful story. I totally agree with your assessment of the power of snail mail. The story reminded me of many occasions when I used to write to my grandmother and friends who had gone overseas. I still have copies of some of those letters and of their replies.
Emails are fleeting and whilst conveying the same message, fall down when it comes down to real memories and conversations.
Thanks for the read and memories. Well Done.
Regards
Barry Penfold.
Comment Written 28-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 28-Jan-2025
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My pleasure. That's for the absolutely heart-warming review. Xo
Comment from Patrick Bernardy
Hello Rachelle!
Wow, what a touching and beautiful essay! I LOVED this! Let me get right to my comments, because I have a lot!
SOME THOUGHTS:
---This is so well written! You make your point so eloquently with a treasure trove of examples with the most memorable details! So, I do want to say that I am finding it fascinating as I "adopt" certain writers and dive into their portfolios how much their works begin to paint a picture of who they are. Just in the last hour and a half, you have materialized into a real human being to me, someone I know much better than seems possible from the time invested. This desire to bring the "painting" into sharper focus compels me to continue, plus the desire to give as many people possible a READER who pays attention to them and reads their work carefully.
---"There's nothing digital that comes anywhere close to its warmth and specialness." --I agree! I feel the same way about books. You will never in my life see me reading a book on a Kindle device! I want to hold it in my hand and smell the pages.
---"I was the "Menopause Baby," arriving twelve, fourteen and seventeen years after my siblings. So, by the time I was one, two and seven, respectively, they'd all left the nest and begun independent lives far from our tiny, bucolic Upstate New York homestead." --I wanted to pull out this entire paragraph because it is wonderfully written! I don't think I have ever seen such an interesting, concise, and creative way of describing age differences. Well done!
---"came with charges - by the MINUTE, no less" --I remember! My freshman year in college in 1992, I met on Internet Relay Chat a twenty-eight year-old woman (from New York, no less!) who wanted to flirt with me over the phone. My mom about KILLED me when she saw the phone bill! *laughs*
---"a maid at their hotel had just found my brother dead in his room from an overdose of sleeping pills." --Oh no!
---"In his sparse existence, my brother considered my written words among his treasures." --This detail is one of the many you use to show the value of printed letters.
---"If they took good ones, she'd read them their snail mails from Auntie." --Awww, a very sweet detail!
---"That they saved them all those decades melted me." --Your use of the verb "melted" is pitch perfect (see what I did there with "pitch?" *grins*)
---"There's an intimacy to snail mail." --A central statement for your theme that you prove over and over again in the piece.
---""Wow! This is going to be like eating my dad in Bubble Tape!"" --THIS is adorable! *laughs*
---"Snail mail keeps you company." --Another short, crucial statement proven by your examples of your friend who fell and needed encouragement during her recuperation and the friend who tragically lost her daughter to cancer.
---"We both tacitly understand that I'm babbling, and that it's because I refuse to let her surrender to the undertow of her egregious sorrow." --This is just one of the many examples that proves your excellent writing ability.
I LOVED this piece! It works as personal narrative but also as a subtle argumentative piece that shows compelling evidence of the claim that snail mail is superior to digital communication. I must admit that after a day full of reviewing, I only have two 6-star ratings left. I can't move into Monday with only one! I am truly sorry, but I must TELL you it's exceptional without being able to bestow that status upon it. I wish you the best of luck in the contest (even though I have entered, too!) I will talk to you again soon!
Patrick
reply by the author on 20-Jan-2025
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Hello Rachelle!
Wow, what a touching and beautiful essay! I LOVED this! Let me get right to my comments, because I have a lot!
SOME THOUGHTS:
---This is so well written! You make your point so eloquently with a treasure trove of examples with the most memorable details! So, I do want to say that I am finding it fascinating as I "adopt" certain writers and dive into their portfolios how much their works begin to paint a picture of who they are. Just in the last hour and a half, you have materialized into a real human being to me, someone I know much better than seems possible from the time invested. This desire to bring the "painting" into sharper focus compels me to continue, plus the desire to give as many people possible a READER who pays attention to them and reads their work carefully.
---"There's nothing digital that comes anywhere close to its warmth and specialness." --I agree! I feel the same way about books. You will never in my life see me reading a book on a Kindle device! I want to hold it in my hand and smell the pages.
---"I was the "Menopause Baby," arriving twelve, fourteen and seventeen years after my siblings. So, by the time I was one, two and seven, respectively, they'd all left the nest and begun independent lives far from our tiny, bucolic Upstate New York homestead." --I wanted to pull out this entire paragraph because it is wonderfully written! I don't think I have ever seen such an interesting, concise, and creative way of describing age differences. Well done!
---"came with charges - by the MINUTE, no less" --I remember! My freshman year in college in 1992, I met on Internet Relay Chat a twenty-eight year-old woman (from New York, no less!) who wanted to flirt with me over the phone. My mom about KILLED me when she saw the phone bill! *laughs*
---"a maid at their hotel had just found my brother dead in his room from an overdose of sleeping pills." --Oh no!
---"In his sparse existence, my brother considered my written words among his treasures." --This detail is one of the many you use to show the value of printed letters.
---"If they took good ones, she'd read them their snail mails from Auntie." --Awww, a very sweet detail!
---"That they saved them all those decades melted me." --Your use of the verb "melted" is pitch perfect (see what I did there with "pitch?" *grins*)
---"There's an intimacy to snail mail." --A central statement for your theme that you prove over and over again in the piece.
---""Wow! This is going to be like eating my dad in Bubble Tape!"" --THIS is adorable! *laughs*
---"Snail mail keeps you company." --Another short, crucial statement proven by your examples of your friend who fell and needed encouragement during her recuperation and the friend who tragically lost her daughter to cancer.
---"We both tacitly understand that I'm babbling, and that it's because I refuse to let her surrender to the undertow of her egregious sorrow." --This is just one of the many examples that proves your excellent writing ability.
I LOVED this piece! It works as personal narrative but also as a subtle argumentative piece that shows compelling evidence of the claim that snail mail is superior to digital communication. I must admit that after a day full of reviewing, I only have two 6-star ratings left. I can't move into Monday with only one! I am truly sorry, but I must TELL you it's exceptional without being able to bestow that status upon it. I wish you the best of luck in the contest (even though I have entered, too!) I will talk to you again soon!
Patrick
Comment Written 20-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 20-Jan-2025
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You, more than most, understand the value of words over anything else. So a six-star rating pales in comparison to million-wattage words, which yours are.
Thank you for this glowing (see what I did there with that link between "wattage" and "glowing"
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Hi Rachelle! Cleverl! 😊
Comment from Bill Schott
So glad I held off on this one until now. The argument for letters over electronic mail is intimacy and the physical act of displaying concern for another. It can only be learned in a world where it is understood. Nowadays, it just isn't.
reply by the author on 09-Jan-2025
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So glad I held off on this one until now. The argument for letters over electronic mail is intimacy and the physical act of displaying concern for another. It can only be learned in a world where it is understood. Nowadays, it just isn't.
Comment Written 09-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 09-Jan-2025
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But if enough of us keep it alive, it can be.
Comment from Mark D. R.
Rachelle,
More than 50 years ago, I used snail mail as a follow-up to a one-day chance meeting on a tour bus in Amsterdam.
This eventually led to a second meeting 7+ months later and our eventual marriage!
One thing is known with snail mail: you cannot tell a lie since your letters are not erased (my wife kept my letters!) or can they be amended.
I wrote 2-3 times a week after that second encounter. Sometimes written without the benefit of a letter from her, but often in response.
It was a great way to share your life story.
Mark
P.S. Except when I give her flowers (with a handwritten note/card), the snail mail is now email or video chats.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2025
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Rachelle,
More than 50 years ago, I used snail mail as a follow-up to a one-day chance meeting on a tour bus in Amsterdam.
This eventually led to a second meeting 7+ months later and our eventual marriage!
One thing is known with snail mail: you cannot tell a lie since your letters are not erased (my wife kept my letters!) or can they be amended.
I wrote 2-3 times a week after that second encounter. Sometimes written without the benefit of a letter from her, but often in response.
It was a great way to share your life story.
Mark
P.S. Except when I give her flowers (with a handwritten note/card), the snail mail is now email or video chats.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2025
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What a beautiful story! I am so happy you shared that with me today. Thank you. Xo
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R
Yes, it is still going. We just celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary on January 5. We went out to dinner to celebrate. I had sent her an email with a photo from her wedding ceremony. But no flowers were given to her for this day/occasion (-;
M
Comment from Y. M. Roger
OH, there is so much that those letters and cards say that email and text cannot (and never will be able to!!)... You're right, I think: it's the time in the writing and in the selection of a card and in the addressing of the envelope... even the purchase of stamps!! ;) And it's amazing to look back at those things after years and feel things all over again! ;) So glad you're friend is doing better and that you're back in the swing, Red... oh, and good luck in the contest! ;) Yvette
P.S. I pitched everything I found that was written by my ex... apparently, they meant nothing! ;)
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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OH, there is so much that those letters and cards say that email and text cannot (and never will be able to!!)... You're right, I think: it's the time in the writing and in the selection of a card and in the addressing of the envelope... even the purchase of stamps!! ;) And it's amazing to look back at those things after years and feel things all over again! ;) So glad you're friend is doing better and that you're back in the swing, Red... oh, and good luck in the contest! ;) Yvette
P.S. I pitched everything I found that was written by my ex... apparently, they meant nothing! ;)
Comment Written 05-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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Now THAT was a smart move! I'm totally proud of you. Xo
Comment from bob cullen
Wow. Maybe awesome better suits this post. It sends such a powerful message that truly values the real power of genuine friendship. I've never thought of snail mail in this sense, but you are so right. It shows not only friendship, it also shows effort and a desire to communicate with effort. At this very moment I'm thinking just how wonderful it would be, to tomorrow receive a handwritten from someone I'd not seen or heard from in sometime. In fact, I just might send a letter to my sister tonight. Thank you for fantastic idea.
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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Wow. Maybe awesome better suits this post. It sends such a powerful message that truly values the real power of genuine friendship. I've never thought of snail mail in this sense, but you are so right. It shows not only friendship, it also shows effort and a desire to communicate with effort. At this very moment I'm thinking just how wonderful it would be, to tomorrow receive a handwritten from someone I'd not seen or heard from in sometime. In fact, I just might send a letter to my sister tonight. Thank you for fantastic idea.
Comment Written 05-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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Wow. This is the most touching and beautiful review I've ever received. Thank you times a million zillion. I've copied-and-pasted into a file to treasure for the rest of my days. Xoxo
Comment from T B Botts
Hello Rachelle,
first, let me say that I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. Though many years may have passed, we never cease to miss our loved ones. It speaks volumes about him that he kept all your letters. After receiving your Christmas card, I can see why he hung on to all of them.
I couldn't agree with you more about the personal touch that a hand written card or letter conveys. It takes time to sit down and personally write a note. I know I certainly enjoy getting a letter or card in the mail.
I think it's become an increasingly lost art though, even at Christmas. Some folks send a generic letter out, letting everyone know what they and their kids are up to, but it's not very personal. I send out a lot of cards, and though I don't write much in each one, I strive to write something that is for that individual alone. The more I follow you, the more I like what I see gal. You're a class act, and I'm enjoying getting to know you.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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Hello Rachelle,
first, let me say that I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. Though many years may have passed, we never cease to miss our loved ones. It speaks volumes about him that he kept all your letters. After receiving your Christmas card, I can see why he hung on to all of them.
I couldn't agree with you more about the personal touch that a hand written card or letter conveys. It takes time to sit down and personally write a note. I know I certainly enjoy getting a letter or card in the mail.
I think it's become an increasingly lost art though, even at Christmas. Some folks send a generic letter out, letting everyone know what they and their kids are up to, but it's not very personal. I send out a lot of cards, and though I don't write much in each one, I strive to write something that is for that individual alone. The more I follow you, the more I like what I see gal. You're a class act, and I'm enjoying getting to know you.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
Comment Written 05-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 05-Jan-2025
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Thank you for this thoughtful, kind and very insightful review it made me feel really good. Xo
Comment from Gypsy Blue Rose
Excellent entry for the Nonfiction Writing Contest. I agree with you, a hand written letter is better than an email or text.
Most of my children and grandchildren communicate through a family chat room. I hate it.
On my birthday I want a phone call or a greeting card.... a letter would be even better.
Well done!
Gypsy
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
reply by the author on 04-Jan-2025
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Excellent entry for the Nonfiction Writing Contest. I agree with you, a hand written letter is better than an email or text.
Most of my children and grandchildren communicate through a family chat room. I hate it.
On my birthday I want a phone call or a greeting card.... a letter would be even better.
Well done!
Gypsy
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
Comment Written 04-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 04-Jan-2025
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That's hardly asking a lot, Gypsy. I sure hope they honor your wishes. Thank you for this lovely and validating review. xoxox
Comment from Carol Clark2
Nicely organized writing about correspondence. Yes, there's something lovely about a hand-written card or letter arriving in the mail. It causes us to slow down a bit to enjoy what's been said. I love that your brother saved your letters among his treasures. Well done! Best wishes in the contest. Carol
reply by the author on 04-Jan-2025
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Nicely organized writing about correspondence. Yes, there's something lovely about a hand-written card or letter arriving in the mail. It causes us to slow down a bit to enjoy what's been said. I love that your brother saved your letters among his treasures. Well done! Best wishes in the contest. Carol
Comment Written 04-Jan-2025
reply by the author on 04-Jan-2025
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I so totally agree with your comment about the SLOWING DOWN and then the ENJOYING of something. Doesn't that seem like the biggest lost 'art form' these days? It seems like everyone rushes through everything to get to the NEXT thing. Drives me crazy. SAVOR things for gawd sake! What is the damn RUSH every minute???! Oy!
I appreciate this validating review, Carol. xoxo
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I've received hand-made cards from two friends this year, and that is a double blessing. They not only thought of me, but took the time to design the card as well as to write a note inside. True friendship examples!
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Exactly! You are wealthy.
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Yes, I am!
