I Miss the Mail by Anthony Thaxton Am the only one who does not like email? Imean, I love the speed and the ease of if, the immediacy, Bul like so many things that come so easily, we just lose something in the mix, Some things are worth the lime it takes to do them. It makes them matter, Tjust miss people using "snail mail.” Until | was in the fifth grade, we lived on the coast in Lakeshore, Mi Appi. Two really fond memories include waiting on the Book Mobile to come to Kent and Sue's parking lot, and going to get the mail at the liny Post Office there, Both things were like a little treasure hunt; you never knew what you'd find. [don't know if the Book-Mobile sill runs, but Ido know thal lille: Post Office across (he street was washed away with Katrina, And a whole lot of memories washed away with il After fifth grade, we moved back to Caesar, Mississippi near Carriere. ‘There, we received our mail via the rural route. (lalking of the ease of modern communica- tions, “e-mail” is even easier to say than rural’). can remember fighting with my brother and sister to see who would reach the tattered mailbox first. Likely, it would just be bills, but occasionally there was something more. Occasionally there might be a postcard or something from an aunt. ‘There might be a birthday card with a "little something” inside. Or there might be the jackpot: a long, thought-out,honest-to-goodness letter. Something to hold on to. Something to keep. When | left for the Math and Science school, [remember the first letter my mother sent. The last line said, "I missed you as soon as I walked through the hous: cried when | read those words in Columbus. And | still have that letter. also cherish the words I have from grandparents who are now all gone. Their letters, written by their own hand, help connect me to the past; they keep it alive. The letters are tangible memories. When I was engaged, I sent illustrated love letters to Amy, and she has collected them into two full albums. We share them with friends we meet, and they always declare something along, the lines of, "Amy, what a treasure!" And not one of them has ever said, “Don'l you wish he would've seat you e-mails instead?!” Okay. F-mail is easy. You don’t have to use capital letters. Or grammar. Or even punclualion. T's fast. You ean send il lo 150 people with one click. You can type it. You can forward stupid jokes instantly or reply just the same. You don't have to think wie. Honestly, you don't even have to think much abou! ital all. And with e-mail, there's nothing even to throw away. But there's ubso nuthin to keep. Isure do miss the mail. ie)