Before there was e-mail

Pardon the nostalgia waxing, but writing this item earlier about a Mother’s Day-related survey from Vonage triggered a memory and a thought that I can’t help but share. The Vonage PR pitch included the phrase “in an e-mail-centric world” and the survey asked people how they most often keep in contact with Mom.

The memory was of my late Mom writing letters to me — longhand with a pen and paper — just about every week when I was in college. She’d never fail to tuck $10 or $20 in the envelope, too. (We’re talking late ’70s, pre-e-mail here.)

The thought?Does anyone write letters longhand anymore? I can’t remember the last time I received one (and, no, we’re not counting holiday cards.)Someone out there has a parent or grandparent who simply won’t bend with the times. You’re still getting that ink on paper in the mailbox. Perhaps you feel compelled to respond in kind. … What’s it like to still correspond this way? I’m thinking it’s got to be kind of cool.