A letter to...

Scrapbooking is my number one hobby, but another favorite hobby of mine is pen palling. Although I must honestly admit that I spend less time on writing letters than I used to do in the past. I had my first Dutch pen pal at the age of 9. When I was in high school I had my first foreign pen pal. Back in 1992 I joined the International Pen Friends organization and met lots of new friends all over the world. I became close with some of them, and with others I had quite a superficial penfriendship that didn't last that long. I even met a few friends in person. I went to Berlin twice in 1993 to meet up with my Nigerian friend Maurice. In 1994 my Australian pal Toni came to visit me. She stayed with me for 6 days. We had a great time together and did lots of sightseeing. In August 1996 I went to Southport, UK for 6 days to meet my American pal Jonette who lives there. Pen palling is a great way to meet new people, improve your language skills and learn more about the other person's country or culture. Besides, I enjoy getting a letter in the mail. Nowadays lots of communication is done via e-mail, but I still prefer a snail mail letter. Through the years things changed in my life (busy job, relationship, children, etc.) or my pen pals' life and most friendships ended with or without any notice from my or the other person's side. After all those years of writing I had only three pals left, but due to my own behavior I have lost touch with two of them. I have neglected our friendship due to various reasons, and I am not sure if I am able to renew these friendships. During the years there are only a very few pals with whom you really connect. One of those people is my dear friend Carol from Canada. We met each other through a long letter ladies pen pal site some years ago. Yes, we both enjoy writing (and receiving) very looooong letters. Much to my regret she too had to deal with my neglect for more than 6 months. The neglect had nothing to do with Carol, but everything with my personal situation. The situation with my job, lack of energy, etc. I recently e-mailed Carol, explained the situation and asked if she was still willing to write with me. I was a bit afraid for her answer, but fortunately she said YES! Today I spent a few hours on writing a letter to Carol. I hear you thinking "a few hours?". Yes, a few hours. I typed her a 12 page letter today. Handwritten it would be even more. Well, at least in my case. Of course there was a lot to tell and I really wanted to have this letter in the mail today. I have already kept her waiting for too long. Dear Carol, I am not sure if you read this post, but I truly hope that my letter was worth the waiting. XOX