Monday, May 30, 2016

Hello! It's Me or The Beauty of the Introductory Letter

Allow me to introduce myself.  I am a letter lover, a dispatch devotee, a mail maniac, a postal proponent, an epistle enthusiast, snail mail supporter, and an alliteration admirer! Hello, I am Mrs. Murphy.

I recently wrote an introductory letter to a friend of my son's at college. (A girl!!) This particular (girl)friend encouraged the elder Murphy Brother to write his mail-loving mother a letter. I was so overjoyed at this, I simply had to write a letter to this wonderful person!!!  I first asked my son's permission to write the letter. (Always a good practice when writing to your children's friends.)
  
He reluctantly gave his permission stating, "OK, I guess. She doesn't even know you though. Wouldn't it be better to meet her first?"

To which I replied, "Oh no, writing a letter is perfect." (Obviously!)

For my introductory letter I chose to tell a little about myself...my career, my family life, some of my own college stories, my interests and especially how I got into snail mail. I included some little drawings to make my letter whimsical and fun (hopefully). Most importantly I asked some questions of my recipient and encouraged her to write back, which she did. Yay! She said I am her first pen pal ever. Double yay!

I also have received some mail exchange requests through this blog and I've really enjoyed getting to know people from all over the world through the post. It may seem weird at first, writing to someone you don't know, but it's a wonderful beginning of a friendship!

Not sure what to write? It's often fun to compare favorites...favorite book, favorite meal, favorite vacation spot, etc. Perhaps you could come up with a little questionnaire. Answer it yourself and then send it in your introductory letter to be answered by your new pen pal!

Letter writing is the perfect form of communication for all the shy people out there, so don't worry if that includes you. You can take your time and think of the perfect way to say, "Hello! It's me. Let's be pen pals."

So let's start writing to complete strangers, people. It's magic!

XOXO,
Mrs. Murphy