I was going through some boxes of stuff I had stored at my parents'
(there comes a time in every girl's life where she must move her shoe
boxes of mementos from her parents' attic to her own...) and found bunches of old letters from when I was a kid. I had letters from all
over; a penpal in California, my friend Melissa when she took trips to
Florida, my best friend Katie who only lived four miles away but it
seemed so far, a girl we helped put through school in Nepal, cousins in
Sweden.
Today my mom was telling me about a letter she was writing to
my Uncle Jim, a nice, friendly letter about the little mundane things
of life, the kind of letter that is so lovely to hold in your hands and
read. I wish I got more handwritten letters. I suppose sending some of my own might help that happen. 
This is one of my favorites. My dearest childhood friend sent it to me when we were four, with the help of an older sibling, I imagine.
