In the earliest stages of American history there was quite a need for mail. There was news and it needed to be told.
The Post Riders were known as some of the first mailmen in our history who rode upon government created routes to deliver the news. People would travel several miles and wait in line for hours to receive word from family, friends, or businessmen. This was a time when the written word was imperative to communication, and due to the time, expense, and inconvenience the communication needed to be concise and viable.
I have no idea how much a postage stamp would cost in these early years. Although over the years the cost of a postage stamp has continued to rise. And what has struck me as interesting is how cheap other forms of communication are compared to purchasing a stamp. But we keep writing.
The once long-distance phone calls my husband used to make to me from Bogalusa to Franklinton no longer exist. As teenagers it cost a pretty penny for us to talk from each side of our parish, but the phone bill would not come in until the end of the month --- giving us some extra days before the argument came from parents. One can now call across the state, across the country even, and if that expends too much time, a text or an email is simple.
I have often expressed my concern with younger generations losing the ability to communicate well. One day. cleaning out a closet in my classroom, I came across a series of lessons on how to properly use the telephone with etiquette. I had to laugh thinking the creators of these lessons would be mortified to take a glance at current day social media. (let alone a reel or Tik Tok!)
I enjoy keeping up with my friends in a group text. I love getting occasional emails from friends and family who live away and took a break from work to send me a quick note. An early morning phone call on my way to work from a friend always sets the tone of my day in a positive direction. But none of these quite compares to that old-fashioned card tucked in an envelope, signed, sealed, and delivered in the mail box at the end of my driveway.
I have no true reason why a letter in the mail carries such a great impact, but it does. A thank you email or party invite in a text does not spark the same comfort. A phone call to check in is appreciated but not as cherished as the surprise of opening the mailbox and finding a "hello" surprise.
My friend, who is ever faithful at correspondence via the postage system also has a beautiful touch with showering one with cards when times get tough. After we lost our granddaughter a couple of years back she sent Christmas cards to us and to my son's house almost daily the entire month of December leading up to Christmas. The thoughtfulness in this act touched my son so much, which touched me even more that I now collect random cards in my thrifting endeavors to also "pay it forward" so to speak taking her lead as a master communicator.
Would this showering of cards been possible back in the days of the post rider traveling mile upon dusty mile to deliver the mail? No. Would this be as enjoyable opening up a daily email attempting the same outreach? I doubt it. I don't know if it is the personal handwriting, the originality of the card, the meaning of the written words or just the thoughts and acts involved when strolling down the lane and opening the mailbox to find "You've Got Mail."
But the beauty of communication shines its brightest in moments like this. The pen, the paper, the thoughts and the love become timeless when sealed in a handwritten letter.
