N is for Handwritten Notes by Carol Harrison

 

N is for Handwritten Notes

In an age of instant communication with texts and emails, phone calls and video chats, have we pushed aside the art of sending a handwritten note? Why should we bother with something that takes more time to write, send, and be received?

Digital communication is great when a quick message and answer are needed, to set up appointments, or check information with a friend or colleague. Texts need to be shorter. Emails can offer more words on any given subject and any communication can be great. However, these digital communications lack warmth and the personal touch. Handwriting a note personalizes it with your words and your handwriting (which we may or may not like)

As a young girl, hand written thank you notes were a big thing and a must when you received a gift. It would be impolite to not acknowledge the thoughtfulness of the giver. How often do I do more than a verbal thank you these days? The answer is simple – I don’t. Yet I appreciate when someone gives or sends me a written thank you for something I’ve given or when I have spoken at an organization. I save these as encouragements and a way to remember the event.

Handwritten notes show a thoughtfulness beyond what can be found in a text or email. They can be kept and read over and over again. I keep a file of notes and cards with handwritten messages I have received. When I need a pick me up, I pull them out and read a few of them.

Why write notes? Handwritten notes can encourage, thank, offer sympathy or simply brighten someone’s day. How much more fun to receive happy mail of a card or note than simply bills or junk mail. Recently, I received postcards from two different granddaughters. Totally unexpected. Totally enjoyed. I set them out on display, read the messages multiple times and appreciated their thoughtfulness.

My six-year-old grandson wondered why there was never mail in the mailbox for him. So a few of us in the family sent him notes, postcards, and cards with short messages printed in them. He loved to see his name on the envelope and displayed the pieces proudly. It made his day when a new piece showed up in the mail. I think all of us have a little bit of that kid in us when it comes to receiving notes.

My husband’s great-grandmother and her sister who stayed in England wrote letters back and forth for sixty years until they saw each other again. The great grandmother saved each letter and reread them. Then her descendants had the opportunity to read these missives and get a personal glimpse into by gone times and the lives of their relatives. I’ve even had opportunity to read a few of them sent from Southern England during WW1 and WW2. What a treasure for the family to have. What a wealth of research for a writer who finds them.

Yes N is for handwritten notes that can be simple or noteworthy, elegant or plain but if they are heartfelt they will impact the recipient over and over again. When was the last time we sent a note? When did we receive one and how did it make us feel? 

Carol Harrison does better at receiving these handwritten notes and cards than in taking the time to send them but hopes to change that. She loves to read family history and tell stories in written and oral formats from her home in Saskatoon.