"If you had something to say
You'd write it on a piece of paper
Then you'd put a stamp on it
And they'd get it three days later...
...it all just seemed so good the way we had it
Back before everything came automatic."
Miranda Lambert
Long before skype, texts, face-time or instagram, there were two grandchildren who lived thousands of miles from their grandparents. An ocean separated us from one set of grandparents. An ocean and the entire continental US separated us from the other set. We made a trip back to the states almost every summer. And were blessed by many visits from our far away families.
Back in the day, I'd take pictures of the kids, get them developed in duplicate or triplicate, write a card or letter, walk to the post office and send the "grandkids" back over the ocean to their grandparents. The postcard above would have included a message that went something like this:
Dear Mom,
Thanks for a lovely visit! I enjoyed seeing you and Melissa dancing around the gardens in front of the beautiful natural history museum. Pretty tough to live down the street from such beauty ~ wink, wink! More photos of our adventures to follow shortly...
Love and miss you, A
This treasure, a sweet picture of my little lady snacking in the same lovely garden might have been sent with a note like this:
Hi Grandma!
Thanks for my pretty purple coat! It's very cuddly and keeping me warm. The sun has been shining a lot so we go to the park every day. Say hi to grandpa.
Love,
{and then there would be a scribble from Melissa herself}
I wouldn't mind a return to those days. Days of taking our time with a few photographs. Hours of collecting our thoughts, writing of our tales and adventures and drawing pictures to be sent off. Oh, I'm not ready to give up on Instagram, but I think it's high time I took to the post...and sent more wishes and words off the old-fashioned way. Like I did back in the day before it all became automatic.
Hi Grandma!
Thanks for my pretty purple coat! It's very cuddly and keeping me warm. The sun has been shining a lot so we go to the park every day. Say hi to grandpa.
Love,
{and then there would be a scribble from Melissa herself}
I wouldn't mind a return to those days. Days of taking our time with a few photographs. Hours of collecting our thoughts, writing of our tales and adventures and drawing pictures to be sent off. Oh, I'm not ready to give up on Instagram, but I think it's high time I took to the post...and sent more wishes and words off the old-fashioned way. Like I did back in the day before it all became automatic.
Joining Kathy for
What sweet memories! I remember getting cards from my grandparents and not being able to read their cursive!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those memories. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you! Wasn't there something just so romantic about those heartfelt touches of the past? Love your thoughts and of course these shares!
ReplyDeleteToday was a wonderful day and it will become a memory from my past. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind a return to those days, either! Great post.
ReplyDeleteSo true and unlike the email or facebook post with some pictures - it was so much more personal and lasting. When both my god-mother and my parents passed away I received back the letters with pictures of the kids - ever so slightly worn at the edges from pulling out and showing all their friends.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous texture work! Perfection. Thanks for joining in at Song-ography!
ReplyDeleteI have a few hand written notes from you. I've kept them and treasure them!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great series. Your pictures from way back when are quite a treasure!!
What sweet postcards! The vignettes are just lovely too. It's true, the written word is so much more wonderful than the electronic versions. Like you, it seems many (including myself) want to keep the old-fashioned methods alive :) p.s. gosh these photos could have been taken yesterday, the backdrops remain exactly the same!
ReplyDelete