saved, re-read, and cherished in a way that a text or chat message can never be. Letters are tangible, and there is something extraordinary about that. Let me tell you a little story to illustrate my point. A story about a boy and a girl—the most popular kind. They met at a “Back-to-School Party” just before their freshman year of high school at the age of fourteen. The two always admired each other from afar, but the timing never worked out. She was busy with academics and her social life, while he was focusing on sports. Finally, during senior year of high school their separate paths came together. In that year, they fell in love—of course. But college quickly came, and they were separated by states and sometimes even countries. This wasn’t easy on either of them. There were no such things as cell phones or Facebook to keep in touch, so, instead they wrote letters. For five years they hand wrote pages and pages back and forth. That’s 1,826 days. If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what it. They married, had four daughters, and still have a trunk full of handwritten letters stored in the attic—proof that they overcame the struggle of distance. This boy and girl just happen to be my parents. And if it weren’t for “snail” mail, I probably wouldn’t be here, telling you this story. I, for one, am thankful for the power the handwritten letter can hold. And we all should be, not just because of my parents’ sappy love story, but because writing letters builds character. It builds The Mariner’s Albatross relationships on dedication rather than Oil on Canvas convenience. It builds trust, and we all could Jackie Kuntz Class of 2009 use a little bit of that. For those of you who have received a letter before, know that indescribable feeling you get. And if you know that feeling, then you know that you have the capability, to give someone else that same feeling. If you have not had this privilege, my most sincere sympathy goes out to you, for there is no way possible that I shall be able to provide you with the right definition for such a feeling. It would be as hopeless as attempting to describe a laugh, cry, or the taste of chocolate. So, all I can leave you with is my encouragement. Write someone. Pick up that pen or pencil and write someone because “snail mail” isn’t overrated.
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