Keeping Them With Us

Welcome to the first swap for our group! I know that the holidays are upon us, so the deadline for this swap is in January, but I wanted to get everyone thinking ahead of time.

A Greek friend of mine will sometimes remind me that, as long as someone has influenced us and we carry them in our hearts, they will live forever as we pass on that influence and memory from generation to generation, from friend to friend.

In this swap, you'll write a letter to your partner describing someone from your youth or childhood. This will be a person who, when you think of them, the memories are surrounded with a golden glow. Explain who they were, share some memories - even if those memories have grown misty with time. Describe the scents, sounds, images associated with them. Include at least two instances or "stories" of significant moments with them. Finally, describe the lesson you feel most important that you learned from them, and keep them alive around the world.

The letter will be a minimum of 3, 8.5x11 or A4 sheets, written on both sides (so, 6 pages), or 5 sheets of letterset sized stationery, written on both sides (10 pages). You will have one partner to send to and share with, and please indicate at the end if you wish to continue a pen friendship or if you are not currently looking for long-term pen friends.