Having a good relationship with your grandparents is a special thing. Not everyone has the privilege of even knowing their grandparents, so having them with you in their old age can mean a lot.
One grandfather was attempting to maintain his positive relationship with his granddaughter by writing her a letter. The only problem was that she couldn’t read it because it was in cursive.
In a post to the website’s r/Cursive foruma helpless woman asked for assistance from anyone who could decipher the almost extinct style of handwriting. “Can anyone tell me what this letter says?” she asked. “My grandfather sent me a letter and I can only read bits and pieces. Hoping someone can tell me what the entire note says.”
She shared a photo of the note, which was brief. It was indeed written in cursive, but honestly, the handwriting was not overly elaborate.
It was not very difficult to decipher, as several commenters pointed out through their swift replies. “Dear Granddaughter Skylar, I know what you are probably thinking, that this $ is not necessary, but I feel better better (sic) letting you know how I appreciate your concern for Ole Grandpa,” the letter began, according to one user’s transcription.
It continued, “I’ve been to the doctor about my breathing and it took you to give me a method of relief, which goes to prove that you shudda been a doctor. I love you, Ole Grandpa Fred.” The note also included a drawing that commenters could not agree on. Some thought it was a self-portrait, while others believed it to be a caricature of Snoopy. Either way, it had a speech bubble with it which said, “Looking forward to July.”
Grandpa Fred ended his note with an ironic postscript. “Hope you can read this scribble,” he concluded.” Obviously, Skylar could not, although it doesn’t really seem like it’s Grandpa Fred’s fault.
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One kind commenter told her, “Skylar, be sure to call your grandpa and thank him from all of us.” She replied, “I will! He’s 95-years-old and is going to love hearing about this.”
After learning his age, another person shared, “He has wonderful penmanship and pen control for his age.” That’s when Skylar shared something shocking. “What’s even crazier is he is legally blind,” she said. “I love … Ole Grandpa Fred,” someone concluded after this revelation.
Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels
Another person asked how Skylar had helped her grandfather, as he referenced in the letter. She shared a sweet answer. “I sent him a (neti) pot and saline packets,” she explained. “He calls me once a month asking for me to send him more saline packets off Amazon, LOL. I’ve convinced him they’re $2.”
Perhaps most importantly, someone asked Skylar if she could “really not read this.” “I could read the first half of the letter,” she replied. “I barely learned cursive. I remember we did one small unit on it in the third grade. Which was about 17 years ago!”
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Of course, the decline in cursive writing is well documented. According to PRINT magazine writer Chloe Gordonit is simply not treasured the way it once was. She said that Common Core standards do not require that cursive be taught to students, and in 2010, they became almost universally accepted and followed by schools.
It’s unfortunate that reading and writing in cursive have turned into a lost art. This will make reading everything from letters like Skylar’s to historical documents more difficult.
Although handwriting has almost been completely overtaken by electronic communication, it seems like cursive writing would still be a useful skill to have. After all, everyone still needs a signature.
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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
