John Hancocks I know and love

To celebrate National Handwriting Day, I want to celebrate my friends and family’s handwriting! ​

I adore handwriting- it is so unique, almost like a fingerprint, but we can actually change our writing as we evolve. We can print, we can write in script, we can try calligraphy or bubble letters (little known fact to most, I ROCK the bubble letters!).

​That being said, I desperately wanted beautiful handwriting when I was younger and no matter how much I tried, I could never achieve my goal. I started with a nondescript style, the went so teeny tiny my teacher said I was trying to make her go blind, then it grew bigger and I hoped cooler but I gave up trying when I addressed some envelopes for my father for a summer job and he remarked, “I thought you had neat handwriting.” Ha!

My parents’ handwriting always intrigued me (image above). My father’s handwriting is the most distinctive writing I’ve ever seen. His big, bubbly letters with circle-dotted “i”s seemed to run totally counter to his super professional, always three piece suit-wearing demeanor (top image).​

My mother was a gorgeous, elegant, refined, petite woman with the worst chicken scrawl you’ve ever seen (second image above).

​My younger sister is reserved and kind and her handwriting is bold and wild (below)! 

My two college roommates have gorgeous writing. Becky, who is creative and crunchy, has such beautifully structured handwriting always accompanied by illustrations and different colored inks.

Stephanie’s writing (below) has the carefree elegance I always wanted (her father is an architect so I think there’s a bit of nature/nurture there).

My mother-in-law and I first bonded over an epistolary relationship as we mutually admired each other’s thank you notes. Her writing will always be dear to my heart.

My great friend and writing buddy/therapist writes in easygoing script (below) as she laments the awful scrawl of the suffragette Susan B. Anthony she’s trying to decipher.

Anthony's handwriting (below) looks more like art than handwriting.

I love my hysterical cousin Marj’s post-it note. So sad that the hardware store is closing. Darn you Home Depot!

And to finish, here is my great high school friend's beautiful writing. Those pretty all caps are somehow bold and soft at the same time. And I love the pink felt pen choice. 

Thank you to all my friends and family who honored my odd request to send me a photo of their handwriting. Writing is both personal but public. I wish that we could see more of it!!!