Chain Letters Without a Curse

My mother saved pretty boxes from chocolates, baby shoes, lingerie, and cigars. I still have some of them tucked, here and there, in my home. It takes time to savor the contents of these special containers, so whenever I come across one, I put it aside, until I have time to properly satisfy my curiosity.

Some time ago, I opened a box containing over twenty beautiful hankies. My mother rarely used her prettiest hankies, but I remember sitting on her bed when I was a child and looking at each lovely bit of fabric. These beautiful and useful hankies had been boxed for decades.

I hadn’t noticed then, but attached to each hanky, with a straight pin, was a bit of paper torn from an envelope or notebook. Written on each scrap of paper, in different penmanship, was the name of a person, a town, and a province.

One paper is dated September 23, 1946, and reads:

Dear Friend,

I received your name in a hanky-club chain letter.

Sincerely,

Marie Miller

With this chain letter, there were no promises for a financial windfall or threats of bad luck. It simply provided a way to build a collection of pretty things, while receiving mail from all over the country. I love the purity of intent in these early chain letters. I remember participating in a postcard chain letter when I was a child. It was such fun to receive postcards from all over the world.

My mother’s hankies are now washed, pressed, and stored in my special drawer. I believe beautiful things should be enjoyed. I will put some to good use as tea napkins, and others will be used to polish my eyeglasses. I often carry a pretty, lace-edged hanky in my purse to wipe away a tear or catch a sneeze. These beautiful, but strong, bits of silk, linen, and cotton were meant to bring pleasure to the ordinary moments in life. I am sure that they will withstand frequent laundering. Each time they make me smile, they will have come a little closer to achieving their reason for being.