Woman reconnects with sister who died when she was 10 through old letters

A woman says she reconnected with her sister, who died when she was just 10-years-old, by reading letters she wrote.

aureen Hoey lost her sister in a tragic accident over 30 years ago.

Maureen’s sister Sinead lived in America, and she spent much of her time writing letters to her cousin in Canada. Maureen was given these letters years later, which led to her finding out more about her sister.

“My sister was killed in an accident. We got these letters she was writing to my cousin who lives in Canada. They were writing to each other for years,” Maureen said.

“My sister’s letters gave me a real insight. I was only 10 when Sinead died and I found out more about her personality, it was magic.

“It’s nice to look back on her life through them and find out more about what she was like.

“Letters are very sincere. It takes time to write and send them, they can be valuable. It’s important to sit down and write for clarity and give your brain a rest from the electronics.

“It’s lovely to get a letter in the post too, especially when it’s not a bill,” she added.

Maureen, who has founded a company that sells journaling and letter writing stationery, Mojo & Co, decided to start writing herself about six years ago because her life was so busy, and she wanted space to reflect.

“I started writing down 10 things I was grateful for every day, and I found it very effective,” she said.

“A lot of us write for work, but not after work and I wanted to have a space where I had my own place. I think it gives me a better mindset where everything isn’t going on in your head.

“During Covid, I was made redundant, and my dad also passed away. There was a lot going on and a lot of sadness.

“Writing is an amazing outlet, it’s your own space, it’s private and it was the perfect thing for me to do for my head, I was making more sense of things.

“It’s great when you can’t sleep and there’s a lot going on in your head. If you write it down, it puts a full stop on it, and you can get to sleep.

“Everyone has things going on. Everything looks fantastic up front, but we all have problems in our lives. Our lives are extremely busy so it’s important to reflect.

“I hope people keep up things they did during lockdown, like writing. It’s important to take some time for yourself. It can be hard to talk about stuff, so writing can help with their stress.

“It only takes five or 10 minutes. It’s not a chore, it’s about finding a quiet space to take some mindful time and organise yourself.”

MoJo & Co journals are stocked in a number of Dublin-based locations including Robyns Nest Malahide, Reuzi, and the Kilkenny Shop.