Love Letters

While passing my dresser this morning, I noticed a cassette tape labeled "love babble".  The label has  DH's mark on it, written in black ink, and there are several hearts scrolled on each side.  The tape, is a souvenir from Desert Storm, when my DH was deployed with the 82nd, and also not yet DH.  The tape is almost 17 years old. 

I picked it up, remembering some of his words, and how sweet his voice was to hear. 

I was then reminded of the stacks of love letters, stacks and stacks of hand written notes.  Free mail written where a stamp should go.

A letter that contains a marriage proposal, and a letter accepting. 

There is one thing I have that most of my civilian counterparts do not....Love Letters.

I did note with this last deployment, and the advent and accessibility of e-mail there were fewer handwritten notes.  Something I regret now.  Because a handwritten note says something and e-mail does not. 

And even though my DH is home this year, I am going to pass on the card this year.  I am going to write him a love letter to put with the rest. 

Since most of us have become experts over time, what makes your love letters special?  Do you make your own stationary?  Do you always seal with a kiss? 

Comments

[Tammy /HH6]

Whenever I would write a letter to my husband during trainings, etc. I would also make sure to include a picture of the kids and one of just myself.

I think that re-reading old love letters can spark some of the "magic" too! It can make you appreciate what maybe you have forgotten about your significant other!

[Sarah]

When my husband was gone, I skipped the email and wrote him 215 letters. Now we have all of those letters to keep, to document an entire year apart. I'm just not sure I want my future kids to read a few of them...wink.

[nessluvsjess]

When hubby was deployed last year I sent him a box of neon colored envelopes so that when I would get the mail I would see the bright color right away among all the boring white bills and junk mail. Ohh how it made my heart flutter when I saw hot pink, neon green, or bright yellow!

[Sis B]

When I got hubby's letters, they were sealed with medical tape or hundred mile an hour tape and waterstained. I know my neighbors thought I was insane as I jerked them out of the mailbox, dropping everything else and kissing that nasty envelope where he had written his name. He smudged them with facepaint. I would read through them as fast as I could, then re-read them about 20 times before I could put them down. In mine I scribble notes in the sidelines and draw little pictures. He was in an advanced school and I didn't want him to get any flak for the letters smelling pretty, or I would've sprayed them with my favorite body spray.

[navywifemeg]

The day he left for boot camp he left me a note and at the bottom he drew an "x" and kissed it. From then on we played a game putting an x somewhere on the letter..or two or three...and that being the spot that we kissed it. I wrote him a letter every day during boot camp, but after that we dropped off on the letter writing and mostly e-mailed and talked on the phone. It was nice though on christmas to get a card from him and see that all too familiar x on the back!!

[mismysailor]

nessluvsjess that'a a great idea! Email is great but I do miss getting love letters! Maybe I'll steal a few ideas from here and get the "magic" back!

[Laura Roberts]

We both saved all our letters from the last deployment. While waiting for his first letter this time, I think I'll pull out the ones he sent me last time. Thanks for reminding me of them.

[prdtxngwf]

Even though my husband is in AIT now, and able to talk on the phone many times a day, I still write him a letter every night. He doesn't have as much time, but I still get a letter at least once a week. It may just be a piece of paper with "I love you" written on it, but he does make an effort to let me know how he feels. Sometimes, my letters are only a few lines with a side note from the puppy, but other times, I will fill up pages and pages of just stuff that went on during the day. Always, on every letter, I tell him that the puppy, Twitchy, (our fur covered critter kid), misses him. Every letter I get from him, I read out loud to the dog. I don't have kids, but maybe I'm a little off anyway?