Snail mail rules! (Penpals)

Member Name: Krystal

Product:	Penpals
Date:	14/02/01 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New friends, nice to get letters that aren't bills!

Disadvantages: see text

My love of letter writing goes back 21 years to when I was 13. An avid Abba fan then (as now!) I was reading the latest edition of their monthly magazine when I came across the penpals section. Jenny, aged 14 from Australia had placed an ad. for penpals, and I decided to reply. I still remember posting that letter (it cost 17 1/2p!) and wondering if it would reach its destination.

A couple of weeks later an airmail letter dropped onto the mat. Jenny had replied and would like to write to me. I was really pleased and so our correspondence began. At first we would write about the usual teenage things such as our families, exams, music etc. then as the years passed it progressed to boyfriends. She became engaged to Tony around the same time as I did to Andy.

A few more years passed and Jenny became pregnant with her first child, a son, followed 21 months later by a daughter. I didn't have my first baby until a few years after her, but I now have a son and a daughter, coincidentally with an age gap of 21 months as well.

Letters and photos of our families continued across the miles, until a few years ago a letter arrived containing bad news. Jenny's husband Tony had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which is comparitively rare in males. He had been given between 3-5 years to live. I was in total shock, he was only in his mid-30's. I wrote back straight away, but I had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry" didn't seem adequate but I just wanted her to know I was thinking of them all. Tony had all sorts of treatments but the cancer spread and he died 2 years ago.

I sent a card and flowers just to let her know I cared. Gradually Jenny has started picking up the pieces, and has remained strong for her children. She's a very special person, and although we've never met I hope we will be lifelong friends.

Of course there will be people that you write to that you have little in common with; it's
best to to discontinue the friendship in its early stages if this is the case. When I was about 15 I exchanged a few letters with a boy from Singapore called Alvin. I sent him a photo of myself and he replied saying that in his opinion I needed to lose weight! (I weighed about 10 stone - hardly elephantine!) Needless to say, it was bye bye Alvin!

These days I mostly write to people I know I'll have something in common with - usually mums with young children.

There's no better way to start the day than receiving a letter in the post, so give penpalling a try. It's fun and you could make some very good friends along the way.

Summary: