Sealed With A Kiss
Writing letters is a classic way of manifesting one person’s feelings to another. They not only express unspoken words but also reveal the deepest thoughts of the person who wrote. Consider these:
"Kind...Smart...Puts up with me...Sexy...Cute laugh... No wonder I still love you like crazy."
~~~~~~~~~~
“There are days and nights that I cry when I remember that you are not beside me anymore - caring for me, making me laugh, being the last one I see before I retire at night and the first one when I wake up in the morning. Until you come back, I know I will never be complete again.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“I really had a bad day today. My boss was making things hard for me but you made it harder. I wish you’d be more understanding and supportive when it comes to my job…”
~~~~~~~~~~
“I miss you more during rainy days. You used to fetch me when it rained hard. That’s why I did not worry not to have my umbrella with me because I knew that when I got down you would be there standing with an umbrella at hand with your big smile.”
Corny, isn’t it? Every fraction of a second, the internet, post offices and mobile companies deliver notes such as the above to millions of mail boxes around the globe. Some are passionate. Others are witty. But no matter how they were written, they bring a smile and an unusual wave of happiness to the recipients.
After losing his job, my husband went to Singapore. When his cousin who is based there came home for a vacation, he went back with him as a tourist- his visa expiring in 1 month. His main purpose was to find a job. By that time, we had no cellphones, our access and knowledge to computers were limited and he couldn’t call me because he had little money to spend.
That’s when I started writing to him. The letters were journals of my life back home and most were expressions of my love for him. Before the end of his tour, he was lucky to get a job in a travel agency but not lucky enough to get a work permit. So after 1 month he left Singapore. He would be in and out of Singapore twice more after that. Finally, after three denied working visa applications he came back for good. He only spent more or less than 90 days in Singapore and throughout that time, I never failed to mail my letters of 2 to 3 pages each twice a week.
When he flew to the United States 10 months later on June 23, 2001, I resumed writing letters to him. I faithfully sent them on a weekly basis, rain or shine. However, towards the middle of 2005 my letters became scarce then suddenly stopped. I think, technology caught up. We were able to acquire cellphones with cameras and even integrated with Yahoo services. I also learned to use the internet. Communication is just on the tip of our fingers by now. What’s more, he could already afford to call me even twice a day. Since we were already communicating everyday and aside from the fact that I was already preoccupied with our growing-up son, I guessed there was no more to write.
He didn’t ask why I stopped but I know he understood. I also know that even without saying a word he appreciated the time and effort I invested in writing those letters. One way of showing that to me is when he sent back the letters and told me to file them. Later when I brought out the letters for book binding, I was surprised to see $1 bill carefully tucked in each envelop.
The letters are now preserved in hard bound copies which included photocopies of greeting cards that we sent to each other. Unlike text messages and emails, they can never be lost and can be read over and over again. Oh, by the way, those corny messages above are in fact, extracts from my own letters intricately handwritten the old fashion way, in scented stationary and sealed with a kiss.
