Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Letters from Another Time

This is a letter I wrote to my brother when he went away to college at the University of Michigan (or Michagan, as I wrote it). I totally remember this stationary. I totally remember that when I used this stationary, my handwriting got crazy lopsided. I was nine when I wrote this letter, but by that age, I was already quite a letter-writer. My brother spent one summer while he was in high school at Carnegie Mellon, studying theater (I think). I wrote to him there. A few years ago, he read me some of those letters. They're even better than this one.
When I read this letter, my primary thought was not, "I can't believe I became an grammar nut, based on the atrocities in this letter," or "Wow, I was such a nosy busybody! No wonder my sister kept so many secrets!" (those were secondary thoughts), but was "aw! Letters! Remember them?"
It's a little sad to me that letters have been replaced by emails and texts. Even our communication is rushed! Kids today won't necessarily have a note from the past come back to them one day. And old emails just aren't quite the same.
Anyway, in case you can't read it, here's the transcript of the letter:
Dear Greg,
Hi! How many is 100 / 10000? You don't really have to tell me. But can you divide 100 / 10000? Todays the big day! Michagan against Notre Dame! Do you think Michagan will win? I miss you but I like getting letters from you. It's almost like you in a different world. The train just past. Laura slept over Loryn's house last night right from the football game! Laura didn't have her stuff with her because they decided it right at the football game.
(continued on another page, lost forever).
For the record, My favorite lines (aside from the brilliant opening) are: "I miss you but I like getting letters from you. It's almost like you in a different world. The train just past." I totally know what I was doing there, and I still do it. I was sad and missing my brother, but didn't want him to feel bad, so I was letting him off the hook. Then I was dramatic, as usual. Then I was trying to make him feel like he was there with me: The train just past.

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