PEN come along with Lewis and Clark oy David Oscarson WORLD marking a milestone look efetele) Sol Annual Readers’ Choice Sa emer eH AeAnother apes, to those who write, is Pp nilar to the early morning sun, Itis our canvas, our ‘opportunity to create a message— ‘our day. At the end of our day, the end of our handwritten nove, there will be an exchange of time and ‘energy. Each stroke, each moment, is ‘ours to create. And, when the sun sets at the end of the day, the hand- ‘written note is created; moments have been spent and recorded never to be experienced again. ‘Much has been written about paper. There are many fibers, colors, styles. And to be sure, what we choose to write on makes a differ- ence in the message we send, the way it will be interpreted. But at the end of the day, the end of a lifetime, the most important thing is that we took time to put pen to paper. Life is short, and we never know if this is the last day we will have to ‘express ourselves. Day, note Another Vote Important papers, hopefully, are kept in a safe place, From my experi- ences with death and dying, when someone passes, there is an urgency to find “important papers.” A last will and testament becomes para- mount, as the wishes of the deceased must be honored, Special handmade cards, love lertets, Financial docu- ‘ments, all are important to those mourning the passing of someone they love. These become part of our -memories of our time together—a validation of the relationship as we remember it. Paper, tactile and per- manent, is still the ultimate medium of communication, Ie is Sunday morning in sunny Arizona. My day is before me, my handwritten note, This morning I am going to write a note to the read- 1s of Pen World magazine to say “Thanlk you.” I am grateful for our common love of fine writing insceu- sents, beautiful paper and hand- I vill choose my paper wisely this morning. [intend to reach for iy angel paper because I ike it best. Bur then, [ike most papers and ‘most people; most have angelic qual- ities, ifonly [will cake the time to write, xo connect. Connecting through the handwritten note—that is the message of Writing In Style Happy writing, my friends. Sincerely yours, er Writing In Style (writinginstyl.com) is Cindy Zimmermann’ online resource ‘fir handuritten communication 75