Pen Pal Friendships

Through RSVP, there is usually a day set aside for a pen pal party, in which the volunteers get the opportunity to meet our pen pals. Again, some are quite talkative, and others are shy.

I sponsor a child in Guatemala, who is now in fourth grade, and I correspond with him as well, but his letters have to be interpreted for him. He sends me a photograph every couple of years.

I still communicate through hand-written letters to many of my longtime friends, whom I also consider pen pals. There is just something special about receiving a letter in the mail from a friend.

We, of RSVP, hope we will be writing to pen pals for a long time, as each year we have a new and interesting person to correspond with. And in today’s world of e-mails and text messaging, I think we all benefit from the personal connection that having a pen pal gives us.

Norma - Waterville, Kansas

Found Love Through Letters

My first pen pal relationship started in 1944, during World War II. My brother, Harry, who was in the military, was stationed in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. One day, Harry showed his best buddy, Norm, a photograph of me. Norm then wrote me a letter. I replied to his letter, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Norm and I continued corresponding for a year before we met in person. When the soldiers were given furloughs, Harry brought Norm home with him. Norm was considerate and thoughtful – and extremely
handsome. Our friendship blossomed, and by the end of the year, we were married in McPherson, Kansas.

My new husband and I soon took a bus to Camp Campbell, Kentucky, where the soldiers were stationed for two months. From there, the boys were deported to Germany for a year. So, the exchanging of letters started all over again.

This year, Norm and I will celebrate 66 happy years together. Thank you, brother Harry, for sharing your best friend with me for all these years.

Susan - St. Joseph, Missouri