As part of my journals and diaries shelf, I also keep old letters. I just pulled down the box of "paper stuff" and am sorting it out. I just put all of my son James' artwork and letters into one three ring binder (in plastic inserts, not punching the originals). So that is now all organized.

While it was clear to me that I'd keep everything James had done, I'm less sure about other letters. There are letters from men in my life back then. I've now been with my boyfriend Bob for 13 years. I don't keep the old letters because I have any desire for these old guys. It is more like a diary, they record a part of my life that I'm glad is in the past but is still a part of me.

What do you think, is it reasonable to put them into a binder, in date order, just like I still have photos from those years? I just don't feel comfortable destroying them.

I would save the letters. Like you say, they are a part of your past, a part of your life that defined you back then. To me, destroying old letters is like destroying history. Years from now when your decendants read your diaries and old letters, it will be an important part of their family history, too. Someone may write a book about you some day and letters will be very helpful. You may even write an autobiography. It would be sad to destroy a part of your past.

Save them. My mother used to exchange letters with an army man. It was Dave Brubeck, the famous jazzman! She stopped writing to him because she complained that all he wrote about was "his music." What did she do with all his letters? She threw them out.

My son was sick when he found out. He is a jazz sax player and idolizes Brubeck!!!

Keep the letters! They're important to your personal history.

I am not a saver so I was surprised and charmed to find that a friend of mine kept all of our school notes that we passed back and forth to each other. So sweet and funny. I wished I kept mine.

I agree! Save 'em.

I'm afraid none of my old beaux were the writing kind.

I treasure all the things I've gotten from my husband. I think one of the ways that I knew that he was "The One" as my mother called him, was that he loved to read and write! So many long stories in my journal...

It is so true that even though you might not want the letters, someone else might find them an ultimate treasure. I will look into saving them!