We live in a world of temporary communication. We send texts that are deleted. We send photos that disappear after 10 seconds. We share articles and photos that we “like” and then forget as they fade into the part of our timeline that you have to scroll to.

All of this has replaced my personal favorite mode of communication: the letter. But I don’t think that it was an even trade.

Yes, texts and snapchats are faster and they’re easier but they don’t carry any of the same weight as a letter.

Letters are a tangible piece of love. Cheesy, I know, but stay with me. They are proof of time spent, thought given and effort put into a relationship.

It’s a piece of you that someone else gets to hold onto. I save every letter I receive. I keep them in a box inside of my desk and I go back and read them. Every time I pull them out, I am reminded of my best friend's love for whales, or the trip she took when she was 16 years old. I remember a summer spent apart from friends looking at return addresses from all over the country. When I miss my parents, I can pull out birthday cards and care package notes and hold their words in my hands. I have newspaper articles that my mom cut out for me hanging on my wall.

I hold unto their handwriting and their thoughts and I feel connected in a way that I never feel when I get a notification that someone posted on my wall.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good text, particularly if there is a GIF involved, and I am a Snapchat addict. I don’t intend to stop posting on social media any time soon. Temporary communication is fun and necessary, but it’s not enough.

I encourage everyone to take half an hour and write a letter. Give someone a piece of you to hold in their hands. They’ll love it, they’ll save it and I swear it’s worth your time.