When I was seven years old, an aunt gave me a gift that has shaped my life. I still have pictures and memories from that day when I opened it. This gift was a pen-pal kit. At the time, my aunt lived in Colorado. She's my mom's oldest friend and she proposed that we write each other letters. I clearly responded with enthusiasm, because we wrote off and on for about ten years. I still have all her letters. Within that time, I tried having pen pals through a magazine I received. Neither lasted all that long, but it was fun getting letters and getting to know another girl my age. Then my friends and I were graduating from high school. Some of us went away and I thought, "they need a connection to home". So I started writing them. I wrote a different friend once a month; one girl I wrote every week. At one point, I have five different people I wrote letters to. Hardly anyone wrote me back, and those that did were very far apart. So why did I write so faithfully? For one thing, I'm a writer. I think and express myself best in writing. I also love getting mail and I'm certainly not going to get a letter if I don't write first. This way, I always have a chance at someone writing me back. But the driving force was, these girls were far from home. They didn't really know anyone. I wanted them to know that there was someone who would always be there. I was one of the few who didn't go away and I guess I viewed myself as a tether of sorts. No matter where they were, there was someone back home thinking and caring about them. It's quite possible that I was over-inflating my importance, but I know what I would have liked if I were in their shoes, so I wrote. I know it meant something to them; still does. So I keep writing. All this started with a pen-pal kit. Now, my cousin is turning eight and I am giving her a pen-pal kit. I hope I can be an influence to her as my aunt was to me. I hope I can spark something in her that has the potential to impact her life as greatly as it has mine. I don't know. But hopefully we'll both have fun and grow closer. Are you a letter writer? It's kind of dying out, but there are some. How do you feel when someone sends you something sweet in the mail? Create Your Own Pen-Pal Kit
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Hi! I'm Sarah!
I am a natural light portrait photographer. I've been taking photos since 2014 and would eat a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe for lunch everyday if I could. Thank you so much for stopping by. I blog about sessions, things I'm learning, stuff in my life, and information for YOU, my client. If you like what you see around the site, I'd love to work with you! I'd also love to connect with you on Instagram. I'm @sarah_jayne_photo :) Archives
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