Why Save Old Letters?

Springtime has always meant “housekeeping” to me. That’s not just about cleaning, dusting and ironing (yes, I love to iron and so does Sandra Bullock).  No, it’s more about putting away, giving away, and throwing away.

Ah, but letters!  I just went through a file and found letters from my dear friend Rosita Perez. 

Rosita was a one-of-a-kind speaker. She always had a flower in her hair, played the guitar (with probably only four notes), and sang in between her very wise advice and insights.  Her megawatt smile would brighten a ballroom, and her laugh could shake the rafters. 

She called me “Lassie” for my Scot-Irish heritage.  No email for Rosita—nope, her notes were typed on a Smith Corona. Every word of those notes meant she had found something unique and marvelous about a piece I wrote (LA Times op ed) or a speech she heard me give. “That was some LA Times piece: poetic, rough, intelligent, informed, and very real.”  Wow. 

She saved her longer letter for one of my books that came out after 9-11: “The Resilient Spirit: Heart Talk for Staying Rightside Up in a World That's Upside Down.

Rosita wrote,

“The book is truthful, motivating, a breeze to read, and memorable and real… I’d be hard pressed to come up with another gift that is so valued and brings greater joy. Good work, Lassie.”

As I re-read her letters written in 2003, I realized two truths:

• Real letters—not email that is easily discarded—are a gift beyond measure.

• Writing to someone from the heart carries a lifetime of benefits.

The National Speakers Association and I lost this beautiful lady 20 years ago. Thanks to my housekeeping, I found her again.