We’re wrapping up National Card and Letter Writing Month, and I must confess, I’ve not sent a single handwritten letter since taking the challenge! I’ve been a bad print geek, but I have 2 days left to redeem myself.
Part of me merely wants to save face. Nobody wants to be seen as a hypocrite, certainly not I. At the same time, there’s more than my reputation at stake here. Everyone should be concerned about the decline of handwritten communications and mailing.
When I look back at my life, I realize that several of my fondest memories involve letters. I’ll bet yours do, too. For instance, I’ll bet you received an acceptance letter from your University in the mail. Do you remember the feeling of anticipation as you ripped open the envelope? How about the joy and exhilaration of getting the good news? In fact, I received a number of important letters from school, such as notifications of academic awards and scholarships.
As awesome as those letters were (I still have a couple of them at home), nothing compares to the most memorable letter I ever received…
A personal letter from a childhood hero, cartoonist Jim Davis
I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
I was 10 years old, and an absolute Garfield fanatic. I adored that sarcastic orange cat because he made me laugh even though I didn’t have much to smile about. My father passed away 2 years earlier, and my mother became seriously ill to the point of repeated hospitalization shortly thereafter. The world seemed big and scary; I felt small and alone. Despite the chaos around me, I knew I could count on good ole Garfield to cheer me up in the newspaper or on Saturday morning cartoons. I started carrying a stuffed Garfield around with me to ease the parental separation anxiety.
My older brother sensed my vulnerability, as big brothers do. One day he decided to play a little mind game with me. He came into the living room where I sat reading a Garfield book on the couch.
“Katherine, ‘ he said, ‘I heard bad news. The Garfield strip is being discontinued because Jim Davis has writer’s block!”
I refused to believe him, although deep down I feared for the worst. Adept at research at an early age, I tracked down the phone number to Davis’ publishing company, who politely passed the frantic call on to his publicist. That very nice lady listened to my concerns, and assured me that my brother made the whole thing up. She asked for my address and said she wanted to send me a little something for being a loyal fan. About a week later, a package arrived from Random House (if memory serves me well) filled with stickers, a copy of Garfield’s new book, and a stuffed toy.
JACKPOT!!!!
I felt like the luckiest kid alive… until a week later when I received another package.
Only this time, the return address read from Paws Inc. Puzzled, I opened the package to find a letter from the man himself, Jim Davis! It went something like this:
Dear Katherine,
A little bird called me and told me you had some concerns about Garfield disappearing from the TV and comic pages. Not so! Never fear, Katherine. As long as Garfield has faithful fans like you, he’ll be around to keep you entertained. Enclosed is a copy of his 23rd book. Enjoy!
Thanks,
Jim Davis
While the rest of the letter was typed, his famous signature appeared at the bottom of the branded letterhead in red ink. The very same signature I saw on every Garfield strip I’d ever read. He also signed a copy of Garfield Keeps His Chins Up.
Gone, yet never forgotten
Sadly, I no longer have a copy of the letter or the book (they were lost when my mom moved a few years ago). I found this photo of a letter Davis sent to another happy kid. Mine was written in the same format on identical letterhead:
Source: http://www.joshshalek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/garfield-letter.jpg
The point is that although I’m deeply saddened by the loss of these prized possessions, I will never forget Jim’s or his publicist’s kindness. Their actions made me feel as though I mattered, which meant the world to me. They had no idea what I was going through at the time, they were simply being nice to a random little girl halfway across the country.
I wonder how many other kids’ lives they touched with their sweet letters and surprise packages…
Share your favorite mail memories!
Did you receive a letter you’ll never forget? Share your mailing memories in the comments below!