You've got mail!

I first found out about email during my first year of university. I was sitting at the computer with my future husband, listening to him explain it to me, and showing me how to use it. I remember being completely against the idea of sending messages to people through a computer.

"I'm never going to use email!" I declared, and walked away.

A few of my friends had gone away to university, and I stocked up on nice writing paper and pens eager to start writing letters to them. Checking the mail box was fun, and new letters would arrive weekly—pages of hand-written letters from my closest friends, with juicy details about their first year in university and about their experiences living on their own.

Eventually, though, I gave in. I got my first email account through the university I was attending.

The rest, as they say, is history. And my love affair began.

My closest friends and I would go to the computer lab on the 4th floor of the university library to send emails to one another. "Send me an email!" we'd say, excitedly. And well, I guess that's when the obsession took over.

Since 1995, I've been online. And loving it. Emails can brighten your day. They can make you smile. They can make you laugh. Hard. They can make your heart go a flutter, and give you butterflies. Sometimes, certain emails can make you shed tears. It's through email that I found out my best friend had suffered a miscarriage, it's through email I found out she was pregnant again, and it's through email that I found out my high school boyfriend had been killed in a car accident.

Through email, we share stories and pictures, and turn public conversations private. Email is the best way to stay in touch with friends who live far away, and it's a great way to send pictures to family. I remember sending pictures of my newborn son to relatives who lived as far away as Greece. With one click, you are connected through the miles.

Email is usually the first thing we check each and every morning when we turn on our computers. Seeing an inbox filled with unread messages always makes me happy.

Email is like... the never ending birthday present. It's always full of surprises, usually leaves me satisfied, and always makes me want more.

Where were you when you got your first email? Has it changed your life, too?

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.