Ever year as the seasons change and the temperatures drop, I go about on wardrobe transfer from my wardrobe to a hefty suitcase .. I am not very proud of the fact that I have so much clothes that they dont fit into one wardrobe, but given my highly fluctuating weight…I have accumulated clothes spanning +-13kg of my body weight..ok..ok..i digress..thats besides the point..so as Iwent about on this biannual chore today, triggered by drastic temperatures drop accompanied by an equally drastic weight gain , shuffling n moving clothes, setting some aside for the nice charity drive in office..there it was.. deep buried within the suitcase…i found a bag, bag full of trinkets, some precious gems turned to trinkets by grind of the time ..bag which opened a beehive of memories, some stung, some I wasnt even aware were there..some which brought a quick tear, some a flood of them..some got smiles & grins which reminded me of close friendships in far-flung lands made in an innocent, intense time…amongst these was a box full of letters, times when my previous generation hadnt quite got the hang of email. And as I looked as those frayed letters ( I hadnt guessed they would be so precious in couple of years to take good care of them 
), I couldnt help but think that though email is great and certainly a part of our lives, the charm of a good ol’ aerogramme is priceless…here is one of those..
Holding the letter in my hand, running my fingers over my uncle’s loving handwriting as he tells his favourite but homesick,anxious & barely 21 yr old niece..” that things will be fine..hold on to your horses,that there is no gain without pain is the universal truth. You have had the courage to pursue the path which wasnt exactly mainstream so you obviously have the courage to get through it. ” Yeah..I remember reading those words the first time impatiently, greedily in the students counsellor’s office where it was dropped off for me and then re-reading them, letting my uncle’s encouragements reach out to me that chilly evening waiting for my bus…letter which i carried in my jacket pocket for days later for some touch of home and encouragement.
Things turned out well, I achieved what I had set out to..as they say lots of water has flowed now…but as I read those trembling yet strong words again, they are true today also as I juggle probably the hardest time in my life..its pretty weird, I just met my Uncle yesterday, and when he put his hand on my head to wish me when I touched his feet.. I realise now that his eyes and encouraging smile were saying exactly those words to me…yes, I understand, the struggles are stronger but so is your courage..I just wish I could read those eyes yesterday to hug him back..
I am sure any email found in my inbox, however tech-savvy I ever became wouldnt be as special. Do you have such letters, if yes, cherish them and share how you feel with the people who wrote them to you, if possible, and those who havent, go purchase an inland letter and create such wonderful memories. Trust me, they are worth it!
Good post.. Yes, letters are precious, maybe because they are physical objects.. An e-greeting card will never equal the warmth of a ‘real’ one.. And the sad fact is, we probably won’t be getting any real letters now.. So need to cherish what we have! Thanks for the reminder!