During the height of the pandemic, Virginia teenager Keslar Just was looking for a way to bring a bit of brightness to the dark, uncertain days. She decided to take up the old-fashioned practice of letter writing and began sending handwritten notes to seniors quarantined in nursing homes all over the country.
“I ended up writing over 150 letters and only one responded,” Keslar told WJLA. “That was Jean Peck in Henrietta, New York.”
Peck’s returned letter led to another, then another, and soon the two were pen pals. In time, the pair with a seven-decade age difference were more than just pen pals, they were friends. Keslar learned that Jean had a passion for swimming, playing basketball, and hiking. And Jean heard about Keslar’s plans to attend William and Mary College, where she is now a freshman majoring in biology.
All in all, the women sent 80 letters between Virginia and New York. In between relishing the simple pleasures of snail mail, they would chat on the phone.
“We wrote pretty religiously,” Keslar said. “We had a lot to talk about.”
Last month, Keslar got news from Jean’s family that she had been moved to hospice care and wasn’t doing well. With little time to spare, Keslar immediately made plans to visit her friend in Henrietta.
When Keslar arrived to finally meet Jean face-to-face, something incredible happened. Jean’s family had warned Keslar not to expect much as Jean had been mostly unresponsive.
“I walked in and said, ‘Hello it’s Keslar, your pen pal,’” Keslar told WJLA. “I started talking with her and she slowly opened her eyes and become responsive. I just sat and talked with her. I will always remember our pen pal relationship and what those two years brought both of us.”
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And this is why we will always love letter writing!
