GOOD NEWS: After 40 years, pen pals meet in person

Hayley Briggs and Krystel Alston became pen pals in 1980, their letters crisscrossing the country between California and Pennsylvania. “Our differences, we would write about and that’s what I would learn about and she would learn about me,” Alston told ABC 7. “It was a new experience with a new person.”

They were both 10 years old when they met, and for several years sent each other handwritten letters and cards. As technology changed, so did their communication, with the friends almost exclusively chatting on social media. After years of knowing each other, Briggs and Alston decided to celebrate turning 50 with an in-person visit, but because of Covid-19, had to postpone the party until recently, when Alston flew out to Pennsylvania to meet Briggs.

“We’ll just continue to stay in contact and stay in each other’s lives,” Alston said.