I have been a member of SLT's American Association of University Women (AAUW) since we moved to Tahoe a decade ago. I belong to Talking on Paper, an interest group within AAUW, where once a month amazing women gather to catch up on life, share their wisdom, and to write. Today, I was the hostess.

There is something magical about a letter that arrives hidden amongst the propaganda and junk. A hint of it revealed in a colored envelop or a unique stamp. It's a mystery soon to be uncovered with its opening. I actually get a feeling of giddiness... what treasures lie within? How uplifting a simple rectangle, which traveled across the world or just across town, can be. And that's just the feelings of receiving postal goodness. I derive at least as much pleasure in the act of sending. Sitting alone with my thoughts and excessive (I need them all) writing supplies, I savor putting pen to paper. I picture the recipient's surprise after trudging to the mailbox to then discover a gift waiting. For that is what a letter is to me, a gift.

Eunjin Jang said it best, “Life is bearable when you have someone to write, and someone who writes you back. Even if it's just one person.”