Pen Pal Friendships

Georgia has been my pen pal the longest, beginning when I was in second grade. We had lived in the same neighborhood and started kindergarten together. We loved every day we were together. Then Georgia and her family moved to Indiana. We missed each other terribly, and we began mailing notes to each other to stay connected. When we married, we got very busy and drifted apart.

Years later, Georgia and her sister Ruth tracked me down, and when my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, they drove straight to my house. What an emotional reunion. We have never lost touch since reuniting that day 15 years ago.

My friend Starrlette and I met through a magazine we both wrote for and through a cookbook I published. Our friendship lasted 25 years, until her death in 1999. Some of her words have remained with me through the years as I reflect on what a gifted writer she was.

Fifteen years ago, Carol and Larry, a delightful couple from California, found my name and address in a magazine where I had a recipe published. They wrote, and we have been pen pals since. They love to cook and travel, and they love their grandchildren as much as I love mine.

I strongly encourage pen pal relationships. My husband was in the military, and we traveled to the reunions for many years. Since my husband died, the World War II Army families have stayed in touch with me.

I believe pen pals certainly enrich the lives of each other.

Phyllis - Three Rivers, Michigan

Long-Distance Friendship Still Going Strong After Nearly 60 Years

When my mother asked if I would be interested in responding to an article in a magazine in which pen pals were being matched up, I was more than interested.

The year was 1952, and I was an 11-year-old farm girl living near Farmington, Iowa. I was eager for a pen pal.

Shortly after responding to the article, a letter with a Liverpool, England, postmark arrived in the mail. My pen pal was a 13-year-old girl named Maureen. We began corresponding, writing in detail about my life on the farm, and her life in a large seaport city.