When was the last time that you sat down and wrote a letter? A true pen and paper letter? When was the last time you received one? There is nothing better than finding something in the mail that isn’t a bill or an advertisement. When I was little, there as always a letter or package in the mail from family or friends. It made running to the mailbox an exciting part of the day.

Today, picking up the mail is still my favorite part of the day, but it seems that there are very few personal touches left in my mailbox. I know that the personal touches have moved into different mediums, but there isn’t as much excitement opening up an email as there is a letter. And when was the last time you were able to stick that email up on your fridge so you could be reminded of it all the time?

While my husband was at OCS, he sent me an email that I never wanted to let go of. I kept it open on my phone for the next three days as a reminder of him. I had to charge my phone several times each day as I was doing a pretty good job of killing the battery.

Throughout OCS and deployments he also sent me letters. I had them stashed under my pillow, on the fridge, and on my desk. I would carry them around with me as constant reminders of his love and read them over and over again if I was having a rough day. It was so much easier to hold on to that piece of paper than it was to have to sort through my overwhelming email inbox or run down my phone battery each time I wanted to reread something. Those letters were on notebook paper, nothing special physically, but they meant the world to me anyway.

On any sort of paper, letters provide something tangible, something real to hold onto. They don’t fade into the background, or fall by the wayside. They last. They last in that shoebox under my bed, or in my dresser drawer, and sometimes on display. Letters provide us with a connection that no email or like or retweet can truly provide. They mean so much because someone somewhere decided to hit pause on their busy life and sit down and write to me.

I love the connection I feel when I find a letter in the mail and I love the serenity I find when I stop, sit, and write my heart out to a friend or loved one. While my husband was deployed I wrote a letter almost every day. I loved that part of the day. I had an excuse, I felt, to sit down and just write. I didn’t write about anything special or extremely significant, but I told him how my day had gone and what I had eaten for lunch. It was almost like he was sitting there talking to me. I felt connected even though we were so far apart.

My husband is home now and I can sit and chat with him every day. I miss that time out though, where I could hit pause and find that excuse to sit down with a pen and paper and connect over distance. I want to make opening the mail someone’s favorite part of the day.

For a chance to win LovePop’s‘Peach Tree in Full Bloom’ card, leave a comment letting us know your favorite way to stay in touch with friends and loved ones. And, be sure to check out LovePop’s holiday cards on Kickstarter.