Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane,

Ain’t got time to take a fast train.

Lonely days are gone, I’m a-goin’ home,

’Cause my baby just a-wrote me a letter.

Remember these lyrics from the song “The Letter” by the Boxtops? Do you remember the lyrics to “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter.”

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter

And make believe it came from you

I’m gonna write words oh, so sweet

They’re gonna knock me off my feet

A lot of kisses on the bottom

I’ll be glad I got ‘em.

I’m gonna smile and say I hope you’re feeling better

And sign with love the way you do

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter

And make believe it came from you.

We can’t make up new songs about letters anymore. We can’t sing about letters anymore. Letters are becoming nonexistent. We are going to have to change the lyrics.

Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane,

Ain’t got time to take a fast train.

Lonely days are gone, I’m a-goin’ home,

‘Cause my baby just a-wrote me an e-mail

Or:

My baby just a-wrote me a text.

We would also have to change these lyrics:

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself an instant message

And make believe it came from you

I’m gonna write words oh, so sweet

They’re gonna knock me off my feet

A lot of smiley’s on the bottom

I’ll be glad I got ‘em.

I’m gonna smile and say I hope you’re feeling better

And sign with love the way you do

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself an instant message

And make believe it came from you

I am very sad that the art of letter writing is gone. It isn’t quite as romantic singing about text messages or instant messages. There is something about that tangible piece of paper with those special words penned by someone you love that can’t be equaled by a text or an e-mail. Our younger generation does not know what they are missing.

My mom and dad sent many letters to each other during their courtship. I was not aware of these letters until both of my parents had died and I found them saved in a beautiful old box. They were tied with a ribbon and kept in a special place. After reading the letters I felt I understood more about my mom and dad and what they went through to be together in a time where Catholics did not marry Protestants. I found it was a time where 12 miles down the road was a jaunt and letters were more frequent than visits. I learned that family obligations were very important, and they waited a long time to finally say “I do.”

These letters are now in the hands of their grandchildren where they are a treasured memory of the past. Somehow, I can’t see us saving our e-mails or our instant messages to pass down to our children to help them to know their heritage. There will be no more letters tied with a ribbon and saved in a special place to be read by the next generation.

Recently I have started writing letters to my grandchildren. They are too young yet for instant messaging but a couple of them can e-mail with the help of their parents. I wanted them to know the art of letter writing.

I was surprised this past week when my granddaughter told me she hadn’t received a letter in a few weeks and she was hoping I would write soon. For me it is so much fun when they write back in their actual handwriting and not something produced by a machine.

I also came across letters my uncle had sent home from California as his kids were growing. I found he had a little bias when it came to women seeking a higher education. I laughed because I never would have guessed that. Had he not left the legacy of his letter, I would not have known that little tidbit of news.

I have to wonder what letters I didn’t find. What letters got destroyed because we all have secrets we don’t want anyone to know? What letters got destroyed because they were written in moments of anger and after having purged that anger they were never sent?

Charlie Brown has a point. He said: “There must be millions of people all over the world who never get any love letters. I could be their leader.”

There are millions of people who will miss out on that. Don’t be one of them. Rekindle your romance. Write a letter to someone special and maybe your words will be tied with a ribbon and kept somewhere special and become a delight to someone many years in the future.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net .Her blog is paringdown.wordpress.com. Listen to KBEW AM radio 1:30 p.m. Sundays for “Something About Nothing.”