30 year friendship chronicled through letters

30 year friendship chronicled through letters

One of my closest camp friends was named Barb. It was weird, having the same name as someone I hung out with. She and I exchanged a few letters, but nothing like the authors of  “Mary & Me A Lasting Link Through Ink. ”  Mary Potter Kenyon and Mary Jedlicka Humston, chronicled their friendship for over thirty years. Thirty years!

Letters stand the test of time

When Mary K generously offered to send me a copy of their book it made me think about the longevity of letters.  I was blown away that for thirty years these two kindred spirits wrote, and then wrote some more, letters back and forth over so many years.

Here was a real life story of two women, who first met as neighbors on the same street, and after Mary K moved away after only a year, decided to continue their conversations through the mail.  Not only have these letters stood the test of time, but so did their friendship.

Letters and tea

These conversations, because that’s what letters are,  became a  record of their lives. They wrote about everything over time, including being mothers and the joys and challenges that come with that role, health issues, how their faith is central to all they do, the death of a spouse, their careers and their writing.  Should you be interested, their book would be a great gift for Mother’s day. 

All this over a cup of tea, with pen in hand. Of course, the tea often had to wait, as time to write often happened in cars waiting for kids or whenever the Mary’s could squeeze it in. This, my friends, is real life.

Be intentional

Sprinkled throughout the book are ‘Guest Essayists.’ Inserted between the pages, written sometimes by Mary K and then others by Mary H, are other folks who are as passionate about letter writing as the the two Mary’s. Of course, you know me, I was thrilled to read and discover so many stories that letters have played a central role in.

Distance prevented the Mary’s from seeing each other as frequently as they would have liked,  and although email and the phone were always at their disposal, they were very intentional about choosing letter writing as their preferred way of connecting. I love what Mary H says about this, “oftentimes, letter writing can produce benefits that in-person sharing can’t; the starting and stopping, thinking, and trying to find the right words; the drinking of hot tea; the reflection. Sometimes it’s easier to admit things in a letter than you can in person.”

Mary and Mary not only share the same name, they share their lives through their handwritten letters.

Have you ever corresponded with the same person for great lengths of time?