Recently I was given a packet of letters written by a female relative to a soldier in boot camp. The letters are over 76 years old, written in pencil in cursive and they are all very legible. They represent 3 months during World War II, and after the war ended the two letter writers reunited, were married, raised three children, and experienced the joys and sorrows which every life offers.The letters are a window into a time when every able-bodied American male was drafted and American women came into their own–the housewives got jobs, learned to drive cars, and generally figured out how to keep a household going without having a man around from 1941-1945. They drank and smoked heavier than current generations, dealt with ration books for gas and other necessities, and fended off the men left who thought a quickie marriage would keep them safe from the draft. Most of all the women bonded with other women and life-long friendships were forged.
Current school curriculum does not focus on cursive writing, and I fear this flowing and decorative communication method will all but disappear. Hand written letters are being replaced by texts, e-mails, twitter and snapchat. We have speed but we’re losing all the small details, explanations and the emotions of heart-felt wording. Put yourself out on a limb, put pen to paper and write that note you’ve been thinking of writing. Make someone’s day brighter with a hand-written sentiment.