There is a box in our garage filled with stories. Papery, magical stories. The words are from another age, a time where love was delivered in coloured envelopes, recorded on delicate sheets of paper. We learned who each other was, as each letter was delivered.

I remember the feeling so keenly. Carefully peeling back the sticky envelope tab to see what missive of passion and wit awaited. Smoothing crinkled paper and seeing the curls and dashes of ink, the white spaces framing the importance of each vowel and consonant. Words – put together with love, urgency and an outpouring of his heart.

I’m not gifted at speaking my mind. The fear or disappointment in the face of the other is enough to clamp shut my jaw and I hear myself uttering placating words instead of what I came there to say. Letters, on the other hand, are suited well to my slower pace of delivery. Each word crafted to ensure the message I hoped would come out.

Now we have seen almost 12 years of marriage. Our letters appear only on special occasions. But the memories of those first formative moments continue to make me smile.

This post is part of #Write31Days and the Five Minute Friday challenge that I’m participating in along with talented community of other writers. We free write for five minutes (or more) guided by a prompt. Today’s prompt is ‘mail’. 

For more information on 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes, check out Christina Hubbard’s site!