Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Treasure From Times Past....!


A friend of mine sent me a very special gift the other day.

It wasn't anything special except to me. It was just a card with a handwritten note inside. Not machine printed, turned out on a word processor, or typed...handwritten!

Do you realize just how special that is? In an age when we don't seem to have the time to even make a phone call or a personal visit...a real live person made an effort to sit down and write a note, just to say hello! Not an email, not a line or two on a chat room, but a real, hold-in-your-hand, last for years type note.

And this wasn't on just any card, either! This card was a very special card because it was created by another friend of mine, a true artist! A beautiful photograph matted into a one of a kind card that is more a work of art than anything else! To have a talent to create something like this, a person must have an artistic soul! Creations like this have to come from inspiration born deep within the heart and inner being! It can't be bought, or taught, or faked! You either have it or you don't, and this lady has a very large portion of it hidden inside which, if we're lucky, she shares with us from time to time...for the sole purpose of adding a touch of beauty to our lives!

There was a time when folks actually wrote to one another. Thank you notes, letters of announcement, love letters to someone special and seldom seen. Many came from service men and women during the war. Many came from family just to let you know the current happenings of the extended family, and many came our way with no purpose except to say "hello, how are you". All hand written, addressed bu hand, with a real stamp on a real envelope. These bits and pieces of written history all included one very special gift. A gift more important than even we could imagine at the time!

Just what was this treasure so rare? What was the one thing given to us that could never be replaced by the giver? The gift of time! Once shared, it is irreplaceable. It can never be truly appreciated for long, for by it's very nature, time is a fleeting thing! However, with a written note or letter, that particular moment in time can be revisited by the simple act of holding it, reading it again, or merely looking at the envelope for a minute. Like I said...a real treasure!

Today I send out my very heartfelt thanks to both of these special people for giving me a small portion of themselves, a gift I can never match, a gift of their TIME!

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and sit outside for a bit! That is, if you have the time...!

12 comments:

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

I´m happy to say that I still send and recive real lettres :-) Yes, e-mails and sms and such things are great in a way, one can get news fast, but I like writing real lettres.
I do my own christmascards too. Well I´m not doing that much, I take a photograph and someone else is putting cpies of it on cards.

I hope You´ll get more real cards and often, because it is so nice to get them :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Christer...
It's certainly nice...an it's a shame that we don't do it more often.

Sure, we do holiday cards, birthday cards, and the like, But just to say "hello" that's a real pleasure!

Thanks so much for dropping in!

HossBoss said...

Great post and a very good point, hJ. There's a young girl where I work that's getting married this summer and was telling me that there will be over 200 people at the wedding. I said, "Wow ...you're going to get a cramp writing all those thank-you's!" She said, "No, we found a place that puts a photograph on a postcard for 9 cents each. We're having our wedding photo put on the postcard with 'Thank you!' printed underneath. It'll only cost us 9 cents plus postage!" She seemed so proud of herself but the look on my face must have been telling. She went into defensive mode immediately and said, "The world has changed. People don't WRITE thank-you's anymore!"

I guess we could label this efficient etiquette? Sad, isn't it?

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One, What a lovely thing for someone to do. Yes in todays world these acts are often not thought of. And to have such talent too.
And the comment left WWRWH's above it is sad about the thank you cards, but at least she is sending something. I have been to a wedding and nothing was said or sent. What is this world coming too.
It sure is cold this morning so lots of coffee is needed this morning. Pass the pot please my friend. And thank you.

Momlady said...

Isn't it nice to get something other than junk and bills? I always appreciate the thank you notes, especially from the grandchildren 'cause I know they are being taught some etiquette. And actual letters are like gold.

Ken said...

...i still do handwritten letters from time to time,more out of respect than want,but they do offer a zen like trance that i crave afterward...when i write one letter,i find myself creating a reason to write another...

HermitJim said...

Hey WWRWH...
It points to the fact that folks don't seem to understand just what the concept of a "Thank You" is all about. Sure, it's better than nothing...but it's just not the same as a hand written note.

Thanks so much for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
Turned off chilly here as well! I'll have to check and see how cold it's supposed to get!

Hey Sweetie, thanks for coming by today!


Hey Momlady...
Nail on the head! So many kids and grand kids today are never taught about the proper thank you's, and the whole idea of writing an actual letter to someone is completely foreign to them.

Seems more true than ever..."Times, they are a'changing!"

Thank you so much for coming by...and for the beautiful note!


Hey Ken...
Funny how that works, isn't it? Must be an inner desire to stay in touch or to reach out to someone. Often the need to share with another a small piece of our lives can be overwhelming, to say the least!

Thanks, my friend, for coming by today!

Gen-IL Homesteader said...

Very sweet post! I also write a few handwritten notes to a few folks, namely my son and m-i-l. Most people I'm online with, though. The power of the handwritten word is immeasurable, though. Womanwhorunswithhorse's story is amazing! It is indeed a different world!

Felinae said...

I still send out handwritten letters and thank you notes. My Christmas cards all have handwritten sentiments in them as well.

I started teaching B's to write out thank you cards as soon as she could write the words.

When I send out greeting cards each one of us Catman, myself and B's will sign them in our own handwriting. I figure when each of us signs it, it makes it more personal somehow.

Have a great day!
Hugs~Felinae~

HermitJim said...

Hey Gen...
I agree that there is a certain feeling in something hand written that just seems to last!

I think it's great that you still use hand written notes, and I just know that they are well received by who ever gets them!

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Felinae...
You're right about the signing. It does make the note more personal!

I'm behind myself on getting out some thank you notes...I should be ashamed of myself!

Hey, thanks for coming by today!

Cygnus MacLlyr said...

Nice hands, those...

berryvine said...

I had not thought about this until I read your post. It has been years since I have received a handwritten note. Some of my favorite "treasures" are handwritten notes from my mom,grandmother,and even a notebook my greatgrandmother had.Even though they are gone there is a part of each person in those notes.