KM and the author continue to uphold the art of letter-writing with unwavering delight.
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WHO sends handwritten letters nowadays? Me and my friend, KM.
I have known KM since our primary school days and we have been corresponding by post since December 1972 when she moved to Singapore with her family.It is amazing how creative ideas bantered about between two friends could grow into a correspondence that has spanned more than 50 years!
Even in today’s digital world, we chose to connect the analogue way and then message each other when our letters arrived safely. Both of us get a kick out of doing something out of the ordinary. We had tried emailing but somehow the act of putting pen to paper gives a depth and thoughtfulness to the small commitment.
KM is talented, tech-savvy and artistic. She has a beautiful handwriting and an eye for detail. Both of us appreciate lovely stationery and are unsparing in our epistolary effort at decorating the pages with stickers. When we staple the pages together, we make sure to hide the staple with washi tape or a sticker.
KM and I believe in preserving the art of writing epistles to a whole new level. By penning a letter, one transforms one’s thoughts into a tangible gift. It is then sent off to be cherished by a kindred spirit across the miles.
How wonderful it is to wait and count the days till it arrives at her shore and received with yelps of joy. And then sit in solitude to savour her words in her familiar handwriting on exquisite paper – it forges a deeper bond with the recipient who will one day pore over the pages again to recycle the joy.
Uniquely the breathtaking letters that KM crafted are a labour of love. She decorated the pages with Victorian-inspired stickers bought online. Such little touches of refinement express her grace and aesthetic sense.
Once she even used the symbolism of wax seals which added an air of importance. It chuffed me to bits. Needless to say, we are always on the lookout for fine stationery in well-stocked bookstores to enhance our letter-writing.
The writer and her friend are always on the lookout for fine stationery to enhance their letter-writing.
In today’s fast-paced society, letter-writing is a lost art. Truly, human communication through handwritten notes gives us permission to pause and take in the pleasure of slowing down.
KM and I write about everyday life and what happens in the days between our letters.
To add meat to the bones of letter-writing we enclose newspaper cuttings, cartoon quips, and interesting bits from magazines.
Our letters often bulge at the seams, thus we may need to use a padded envelope to enclose all our treasures.
We also love to send inspirational poems in our embellished envelopes as a “side dish” to add magnitude to our letters.
She would ask for my thoughts on the poem. We also enclose quotations, and here’s one by Vigdis Hjorth: “A letter is practically a gift.
”My dear friend remembers my birthday with love and attention. She sends the most beautiful birthday card and it is deservedly displayed in my dining room. I keep her beautiful cards in several boxes but her earlier letters were lost through moving house, decluttering exercises and the events in life.
Today, KM and I continue to uphold the art of letter-writing with unwavering delight. Letters provide a form of time-travelling. Reading old letters again reminds me of the person I once was; the significant moments that have shaped my life from teenager to senior adult.
We send letters every two months now. Nowadays her letters may be handwritten or typed and printed, but sent through the post to honour the old-fashioned way of human communication.
What keeps us going is our shared history, long friendship, and our common interest of noticing, sharing and creating what is beautiful.
