Writing
Letters Brings Families Closer
by Mary Emmma Allen
We often become discouraged as writers, especially
when we've faced rejection or can't seem to reach the paying markets on our
list. The success we hope to achieve seems just out of our grasp.
However, is there a larger scope to our writing? This
may not be a paying market or involve publication, but is very important to
maintaining closeness with our family.
I realized how important reaching out to others with
letters and encouraging messages can be when I re-read a letter my mom wrote me
years ago.
My family has consisted of letter writers throughout
the years. I've found letters from mother to daughter or brother to sister,
dating back 100 years. I have reams of my mom’s and my correspondence after I
married and lived away from home.
In the back of my mind, I knew that cards and letters
to others were important and helped cheer and inspire them. However, as typical
of many writers, I considered only published writing and public recognition my
sole goal.
Coming across this excerpt from my mom’s letter
reminded me of what our letters can mean to others.
"We all enjoyed your description of the
blizzard," Mother wrote about a letter I'd sent her. "I hadn't taken
time to read it the morning it came, until my clothes line broke. So some of
the clothes landed in the mud where they (Father and the hired man) had plowed,
some on the snow. I was so exasperated. Instead of blowing off, I sat down and
read your letter of the blizzard.
"Then I forgot all about my temper. (Then, too,
there was no one here to hear me except the clothesline itself!)
"So you see, your stories and poems are better
than pills to calm the nerves."
I recall writing letters with my grandmother when I
visited her for several days. Nanny always wrote her away-from-home children
and friends on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. When I stayed I joined her
nightly ritual of Bible reading and on those two nights, writing letters.
Letters become treasures, not necessarily in the
monetary sense, but in bringing families closer and even promoting a better
understanding of previous generations. I've discovered letters from my great,
great grandmother to my grandmother as a little girl in the 1860s. Now great,
great grandmother Cynthia becomes more than a face in a photo album.
Cynthia’s son Egbert wrote my grandmother (his
cousin) when they were grown with families. I learned about his life on an
So when you're discouraged with your writing (and
even when you aren't) take time to write a letter, a poem, or essay. Send it to
a family member who needs to be uplifted and encouraged. Your writing may have
more meaning for that person than a best seller does to masses. You will
strengthen a family bond that may continue forever through the generations.
Grandmother Cynthia and Uncle Egbert never knew, when
they wrote to family, that those letters would have great meaning to a
descendant more than a century later.
Copyright 2002 Mary Emma Allen
(Mary Emma Allen is collecting her Mother’s letters
and essays into a book of memories for her family. She often writes about
family history, as well as stories for children, cooking columns, travel articles,
and inspirational essays. Visit her web site: http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea;
mailto:me.allen@juno.com)