Not my photograph
Why some people still preferred to write the wishes to someone by hand, translated…
At the end of each and every year, I’d always listed out the recipient of my seasonal greetings, wishing them a good rest of the year and great health too.
The card for my mom, I’d had some wishy-washy words that I’d not felt comfortable saying to her in person, and, as she’d read the card, she’d felt happy, ecstatic. And, my husband had worked for twenty-five years, gave everything he possibly could to my family, I’d also, written him a card to tell how much I’d appreciated his hard work, so he’d known, that he has the never-ending love of his family members. The boxes he’d brought home from the office for his retirement, the cards I’d sent him had taken up a huge stack.
And, there are, some friends who are on my list every single year too. One of them was someone I’d met up in a communication course I’d taken some twenty odd years ago, back then, I was at an all time low, and, her gentle face surfaced into my mind, I’d immediately dialed her up, and, she happened to be at home, and invited me right over instantly. The moment we met up, I’d started, ranting, incessantly to her, she’d taken me to the beach, and sat on the shores, and listened quietly to me. Later on, we’d gone to a restaurant, she’d ordered a ton of foods, and told me to have more. I’d become confused and asked, “How come you’d not had anything at all?”, she’d told, “I’d gotten a stomach condition, I can’t eat at all, you should have more, because you only come visit me, every once in a long while.”, and, all of a sudden, I was surprised, as well as ashamed too, but I was moved, to date, by her friendship.
There was also, another recipient, my son’s high school principal, that year, I’d gone to the first-year student’s parent-teacher conference, the principal shared his opinions on how we, as parents can help our children adapt better to their hormonal changes in the teenage years, it’d made me feel, that we’d needed more educator like him in the world, and, at the end of the year, I’d sent him a greeting card, thanked him for giving everything he has, to the school, and the students as well. A few days later, I was surprised, to receive a card from him in return. Ever since, I’d sent a card, telling him my son’s progresses for the year at the end of the year. On my son’s last year in high school, we’d had a differences of opinion on which major he should put down, I’d called up the principal, and, he’d called my son back, and talked to him himself. The very next year, this principal was transferred up north, and, not long thereafter, he’d transferred back here, as the assistant to the mayor, I knew he is too busy, and sent out the very last card to him back then.
Last year, my student received an award for entering into a calligraphy competition, on the eve of the awards ceremony, the sponsor had invited the kids to the ceremonies himself. And, the funding, as well as the workings of setting up these functions are not at all easy, and, the sponsors were working so hard, for the sake of making the tradition of calligraphy keep passing down to the next generations, and all I can, to show my gratitude was, sent a greeting card too.
The ages are changed, the younger generations rarely wrote the cards to wish someone well anymore, but, I’m holding the belief, that those who’d received my greeting cards at the end of the year will be surprised and warmed up, and that sense of joy would be, beyond verbal expressions. And so, even though, e-mails can quickly transmit those well-wishes in an instant, but, I’d still preferred to, mail those handwritten greetings and letters, that can emit the heat to the receivers.
So, hopefully, there’s this trend of bringing back those handwritten notes and cards, after all, writing in the cards means that you cared about the person enough, to send them a greeting each and every single year, but, which the high-speed of things, we’d looked for more convenient ways to get our wishes to one another, without realizing, that, the temperature would be lost in the process…
Life, the Obstacle Course 