by Brenda S Brown

Created on: May 04, 2010   Last Updated: May 07, 2010

The day was filled with difficulty; going into the office earlier than usual, choking down stale tasting peanut-butter crackers with a semi-flat soda for lunch, and during the early evening, negotiating snarled traffic throughout the lengthy commute home.  It was a span of ten hours, filled with anxiety and devoid of pleasure.

Arriving home it was time to collect the mail, discard the unwanted solicitations, and scrutinize the statements; imagine the astonishment of discovering a handwritten communiqué.  Whether the posture is elation or trepidation, the ensuing thoughts are intense; you cannot wait to discover the mystery hidden inside the carefully folded edict.     

Without delay you seek seclusion, in order to scrutinize the contents, and study the message.   To your amazement, included in the words are not only a stunning revelation, but also a conveyance of sentiments; suddenly a mundane activity is saturated with waves of delight.      

The art of letter writing is as obsolete as the belief that women are intended to stay at home and devote their time to cooking, cleaning and raising children.  Being transported into another realm of being, by the use of figurative language, is an unforgettable experience. 

The genteel minded individuals of today concur that the demise of descriptive letter writing is indeed a great loss to our society. 

Victorian citizenry received formal notifications concerning the arrival of an infant, or the passing of a cherished acquaintance, but no matter the context, the conveyed feelings were compelling. 

Whether the script described an impending marriage, or the unexpected demise of an assignation, the recipient was enchanted with chosen words that sensitively depicted the occurrence.        

Exquisite correspondences of yesteryear embodied an appreciation for the finer things of life; sophisticated society-folks were expected to compose and promptly post the prudently worded epistles. 

There was etiquette to composition that was not altered for years, address the person properly, use eloquent language, and end the note in an acceptable style.  Sentiment was expressed profusely, but passion, if alluded to at all, was described discreetly. 

One never used obscenities, abbreviations, or numerals; the appropriately composed correspondence that began with expressions of charm

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