What happened to "hand-written"?

Alright so what exactly happened to the hand written letter? Used to it was common place to grab a card and send someone a short note. Sometimes a pick-me-up, a 'Get Well Soon' or even a Thanks. Now technology seems to have wiped away all personal communication. When you walk in the card aisle its usually empty, with the exception of those particular holidays.

Without anyone else noticing it, my mother made it a habit to sit down every week and send people a card, note, or give someone a call or visit. We knew that she did this occasionally, but never knew that it was a constant hobby of hers. Then when she passed away we realized how many people's lives she had touched by doing this simple act. She had sent several close friends a letter just to say hello and invite them to the house for a cookout the next weekend for my birthday. She sent one to the new preacher and his wife welcoming them to the town, and some to friends just letting them know that I had moved off to college and would be home for my birthday. So many people came up to me at the funeral and told me how caring my mother had been and that she had affected their lives in one way or another. She always managed to make an impression on whoever it was that she met. People that she only met a few times in passing through the business sent their condolences.

Still to this day it shocks me to think that one person can have such an effect on people in their everyday life. So I have always caught myself doing things that my mother taught me, kinda out of habit, not really giving it a conscious thought. I even catch myself subconsciously going to the card aisle and grabbing a card for someone once in a while. Then the other day when I did this, I realized it and stopped to think about it (And I will admit I almost broke down in the middle of that aisle in walmart). My mother lives on in me, through the things that she taught me to do. So as I sit and think of this, and look at the next card that I have picked up to send someone, I will think of my mother, and how she touched people's lives just by sheer acquaintance, and hope that I can live my life in such a way that I can be remembered a such a person.

RIP
Kassaundra Joann Goodman
June 26, 1968
August 18, 2006