Imagine an old man shifting through a pile of 260 letters that his American parents wrote him over a 30-year period, re-immersing in the love unconditionally and liberally showered on him and his family through the years, and listening to their silent yet animated voices from the past, you have the rationale for this collection of letters in your hands. Samuel Wong is that old man (age 79 at the time of this writing) and he wants the world to know his American parents, Murray and Dorothy Leiffer, the embodiment of unconditional love. Who were they? How did they become his American parents? What did they do for him and his family? What did they care about? These and other aspects of the lives of an extraordinary couple are shared through their own words. As you read them, you will be inspired by their testimony to grace and fidelity and be reminded of that which is true and honorable, civil and decent.
Letter writing has become a vanishing art form. Other than official documents and perhaps exchanges between soldiers and their loved ones at home, letter writing has lost its unique role in contemporary communication. In a world of speed and haste, letter writing is too slow and laborious for the average man and woman. We want instantaneous responses. However, the fast exchanges are at the expense of reflection and rumination and whatever is written instantly is deleted practically instantly. They leave no trace and preclude the joy and chagrin of reading what one wrote in the past. These letters show what you miss in instant messaging. They might nudge you to add a new dimension to your life: write to someone you love and care about. Old-fashioned writing is timeless and priceless!
