More Mail Bag matches

Readers remember pen pals they found through the Monitor's old Mail Bag column.

We asked readers to tell us about pen pals they found through the Monitor's Mail Bag column, which ran from 1929 to 1969. Here is an excerpt from one of your responses.

Two generations of pen pals in my family evolved from the Monitor's Mail Bag column. In 1947, my mom was at home in rural Minnesota caring for three small children and had No. 4 on the way. She began corresponding with Joan, who lived on an island north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Joan also had three small children and No. 4 on the way.

During those early years, Mom and Joan corresponded often about family activities, current events, Bible studies, etc. They shared photos, postcards, recipes, and newspaper clippings. They found support from each other and help with child-rearing challenges and gardening ideas.

When I was in grade school, Joan's daughter and I began corresponding. We wrote about school activities, friends, and holiday celebrations. My big sister corresponded briefly with Joan's older children, and my little brother briefly exchanged letters with Joan's youngest. When I was in high school, our family traveled to the World's Fair in Seattle and then farther north to meet Joan and her family. Another correspondence flourished for a few years between two of Joan's kids and me during my high school and college years, culminating in two more visits. Mom and Joan continued as pen pals and dear friends for 40 years.

Judy Wearing

Fayetteville, Ark.

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