In an age dominated by texts, calls and social media, staying in touch with distant friends is easier than ever. Yet some still find that the art of pen on paper holds special value.
Freshman Eliana Cetola has been writing letters since childhood. Her family, missionaries, lived in Italy for 12 years, so she began writing with friends in the U.S. to stay connected.
She appreciates the opportunity to share life updates in a more personal, detailed manner.
“I think it's a lost art,” Cetola said. “Because even though we can communicate digitally now, there's just something special about having a piece of paper that someone else has touched and spent time writing on.”
Cetola said letters convey intentionality and effort that digital messages often lack. Thanks to letters, she was able to keep in contact with loved ones and grow closer to them despite the miles of ocean separating them.
Junior Daniele Lily, a discipleship assistant (DA) at Gerig Hall, echoed this sentiment. She said letters are personal.
Her first experience came from a pen pal project in elementary school, and over the years, she continued to write to friends.
For a recent J-term mission trip to Kosovo, part of the program required writing letters to the students they would meet overseas. Now, as a DA, Lily makes it a point to write encouraging letters to her wingmates.
“I want the girls to have something that they can repeatedly look back at,” Lily said. “And know that I'm thinking about them, or they can reach out if they need it.”
Lily finds handwritten letters to be personal and meaningful, valuing the tangible connection they provide.
She said she feels the art of letter writing is lost on her generation, along with the values they hold.
“People should write more letters to the people that they care about,” Lily said. “It's easy in the moment of stress or anxiety or frustration to forget just how much people care for you. Having a tangible letter that you can hold in your hand that clearly states how much someone cares for you is incredibly valuable.”
Linda Taylor, assistant professor of professional writing, said letters have many values.
She said handwritten notes can be powerful due to their personal nature. A handwritten thank-you letter can help someone stand out in a professional setting and foster a personal connection.
In one of her classes, Taylor assigns her students to write letters to their grandparents.
For Taylor, letters serve as a time capsule, reminding her of the past.
Her father, who was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and her mother wrote letters to each other every day during his deployment in 1967.
Taylor said she plans to someday collect her parents’ letters and journal entries into a book.
“Even if it's just a self published thing for our family, it’s eight months of history,” Taylor said. “And my dad, as a Christian, struggled a lot. We know the job that he had to do, and I know some of that is in those letters.”
She said she does not write as often as she wants. In the past, Taylor has written to friends and family.
Once, she wrote to her uncle while he was in a nursing home. Her letter expressed gratitude for his support during her college years.
“If we don't communicate, it won't get said,” Taylor said. “And if you don't say it, you've lost an opportunity, in some ways, to really put good into the world.”
