My Noteworthy Love Affair

“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can’t reread a phone call.”

~ Liz Carpenter

What makes a noteworthy love affair? That your heart goes a-flutter and warms your soul to the very core.

At the book club I attended last week, we talked about what this generation of children will be missing. We all agreed that they will be missing love letters. They will be missing the opportunity to create a box and save all the letters and notes that have been written to them over the years.

You can’t save a text and box it up. Or an email. Where’s the romance in that? I wouldn’t want to attend high school now; I would have missed out on passing notes and giving each other cards and mailing letters. Of seeing someone’s handwriting as they share their feelings in prose or poetry. Once in college, I sent a care package to someone I was interested in who lived far from me replete with candies, a stuffed animal, and a love note. Who sends care packages now? Or love notes? Romance via words has been relegated to a Facebook message or a text. And quite frankly, neither are romantic. They just aren’t. It’s not the same as someone taking the time to write you a letter, a card, or a note.

Sometimes, at the end of the semester, I receive cards from students that are so sweet, they are worthy of being kept. I do keep them. I treasure them.

It’s not at all shocking that I have a noteworthy love affair, and it’s with the written word, but even more so, it’s special because of the beauty of paper, being able to put pen to it, and crafting something that has lasting power.

Confession: I love paper. (Sorry, trees).

This holiday season, a wonderful gift for those who love to read and write would be to give them some gorgeous paper. Give them a special pen. A journal. Encourage them to write. Yesterday, when I was in Target, though the aisle has shrunk, the merchandise that remains is so pretty…cards, stationery, envelopes. At Hallmark, you can find beautiful thank you notes and cards. And, for those with an intense love of paper, stores like Papyrus and Paper Source offer a wide variety of luxurious paper.

Or, my favorite paper store in the world, Il Papiro, with locations in West Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City, have gorgeous, lovely paper and note cards, stationery, and gifts.

So consider sharing a love of the written word, of keepsake paper, and of note cards and love letters with someone you care about this holiday season. And better yet, write to someone you love.

On really pretty paper.