Sir: Just a wonderful story by Jim Blake in The Chatham Voice Aug. 28 of the 65-year-old pen pal friendship between Shirley and Kathleen; between England and Canada.
It’s too bad to read they might not be able to visit one another so much because of health insurance costs.
Yes, it has curtailed many seniors’ travels to overseas destinations I’m afraid, or even that some insurance companies won’t insure you at all. I would certainly not entertain an overseas trip, even with insurance. One cannot really trust them 100 per cent.
Getting back to Shirley and Kathleen: this method of communication will never really take the place of a hand-written letter. Even if one can see a person’s face or hear them speak.
When my sister was alive in England, we must have written reams back and forth. When one of us sent off a letter, we would start a diary letter again. It is amazing what each one of got up to each day. Wonderful memories, unfortunately not lost to technology, but to death. She did live to 92 so that’s pretty good. She passed away seven years ago.
Ruth Draper
Chatham
