Older & Wiser

Writing to older people in my life is another one of my favorite snail mail activities!  (Let's face it, I pretty much love all snail mail activities.)  Elderly folks, especially those who are limited in their mobility really appreciate snail mail!

(Letter to my older and wiser pen pal!)

I write to a special pen pal who has early onset dementia. She has a hard time remembering current events but she does much better with events from the past. I like to include lots of questions about her childhood and young adult life.

I get bored with the usual letter fodder when I'm writing my mail so I try to think of silly themes.  Most recently I wrote a "National Hat Day" celebration letter.  I couldn't really think of anything to write about so I Googled "On this day in history" and "Holidays and Observances" for ideas. There wasn't anything very exciting on the day I was writing but I looked back a few days and discovered National Hat Day!!  That sounded like a perfect theme for my letter. I asked my pen pal about her most favorite hat she's ever worn.  I was able to tell a few stories about some of my favorites hats, too.  I made sure to complete my letter with a few of my best hat illustrations! I even included a paper hat for my friend to wear.  (It did lose some of it's panache when I folded it to stick in the envelope, however.)  Oh well! Happy Hat Day, everyone!

(Festive paper hat!!)

Let's go postal!!

~XOXO Mrs. Murphy