From Lynchburg to England, With Love and Tea

A 1986 pen pal assignment at Moore County High School led to a friendship that has lasted 40 years

4:00 p.m. July 4, 2026

Editor’s note: This feature originally ran in the Nov. 19, 2025, newspaper edition of the Moore County Observer. Sara Hope has long been a familiar voice in Moore County's newspapers, and this was her first feature for the Observer. On America’s 250th birthday, we thought it was worth sharing again – a small reminder that some relationships can survive an awkward beginning, cross an ocean, and still feel close to home.

SARA HOPE
MCO Contributor

This story began at Moore County High School in 1986. Our daughter Kellie was in Mrs. Carol Burton’s English class. One afternoon, Kellie came home excited to tell me that Mrs. Burton had introduced the class to a pen pal program. Each student could give 50 cents to the program and receive an address from someone in another country.

Kellie was intrigued and paid her 50 cents. She requested the address of a young man in England.

She received an address and wrote a letter to her new friend. Being the romantic teenager she was, I’m sure she imagined great adventures once her handsome new friend received her letter from across the pond. She addressed the envelope, writing the return address as “Your pen pal, Kellie Hope, Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA.”

Kellie watched the mailbox every day for a few weeks and was thrilled the day a letter finally arrived from England. The envelope bore several stamps across the top, each featuring a profile of the Queen of England. She opened the letter, and I shared in her excitement.

The Letter Found Jacky

The letter began with kind words from a young mother who had recently purchased the home to which the letter was addressed. She explained she had no way of forwarding the letter, but she had seen that it was from a pen pal and confessed she, too, had always wanted a pen pal in America. She admitted she hesitated to open the letter and hoped Kellie would understand.

Kellie was a little disappointed, of course, but she did correspond with her new English friend, Jacky. They exchanged a few letters, though it was challenging for Kellie to relate to a young mother when she was 16 and her biggest concerns were Friday night football games and the fear that she might run out of Aqua Net.

Another letter arrived from Jacky, and I suggested to Kellie that I would take Jacky as my pen pal, if that was all right with her. Little did we know that Jacky and I were about to become very good friends.

Letters Across the Ocean

Jacky and I began exchanging letters every few weeks. She was a young mother of two, and we shared our lives, comparing the differences and similarities. The Hope kids were older than her little ones, but we still had plenty to share.

After a few years of letters coming and going, I remember signing one of my letters, “Y’all come see us.” Jacky took that request seriously. In 1990, our friends from England visited Lynchburg for the first time.

We took them to Opryland and Chattanooga, and Jacky took her first canoe ride on Tims Ford Lake. They tasted Froot Loops and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Jacky taught me how to brew a proper pot of English tea. She brought a teapot from Harrods and boxes of English biscuits. We learned quickly that a biscuit in England is a cookie in Lynchburg. We had lunch at Captain D’s in Tullahoma, and when Jacky ordered “fish and chips” in her very English accent, the young girl behind the counter was amazed and kept asking her to say it again.

Since Jacky’s first visit, there have been four more, and Joe and I have visited them twice, including a trip to Scotland seven years ago.

Small Things Worth Keeping

We share countless sweet memories together. Some are small and seem insignificant to others, but to us, they are treasures. Jacky developed a taste for Goo Goo Clusters on one of her visits. I sent her a cookbook from the Methodist Church ladies, and, of course, she has Miss Mary’s cookbook.

I fondly remember visiting England, where Jacky gathered her whole family for an amazing afternoon tea, every dish perfectly presented. On one of Jacky’s visits, she graciously hosted an afternoon tea for Lynchburg’s ladies at Kellie’s home, complete with scones, proper tea, and wonderful pastries.

Our letter writing has now transitioned to emails and video calls, though coordinating across a six-hour time difference can be tricky. When we do connect, it’s like picking up right where we left off, sharing life’s updates as close friends do. In January, Jacky asked if she could visit during the Jack Daniel BBQ. “Of course,” I replied, and she purchased her ticket.

Back in Lynchburg

Jacky arrived a few days before the BBQ, and we spent time catching up. We walked the Square, she had a grilled cheese “on crack” at Barrel House, and she joined us for Bible study at the First Methodist Church. We rode a vintage train in Huntsville, visited my favorite thrift stores, and had lunch at Captain D’s. When Jacky placed her order, the young man taking it smiled, impressed by her English accent.

On BBQ day, we sat on the curb with the Dickey family as the teams paraded into town. We walked through the park, and Jacky sampled some BBQ from one of the teams. She wanted to find the UK team, “The Bunch of Swines,” who finished third in the Beef Brisket category.

The last few days of Jacky’s visit were filled with lunch at Miss Mary’s and front-porch sitting on Hope Street. We were blessed with beautiful fall weather. One afternoon, we made pear honey from this year’s crop on our Hope Street tree.

One More Table Together

Jacky and her husband, Alex, who live in East Sussex, England, recently purchased a vacation home in Greece to be near Alex’s family. She graciously prepared a Greek feast for the Hope clan, including Joe, me, our three kids, three grandkids, three great-grandkids, and two sons-in-law.

The table was filled with Greek pastitsio, creamy chicken orzo, Greek salad with feta, phyllo-wrapped tomatoes, Greek olives, and pasta she brought from Greece.

Jacky is now back in England, and here I am on Hope Street, reflecting on the memories we’ve made. Our friendship spans almost 40 years. We have shared good news and bad, watched our children grow, and now talk about grandchildren. We’ve compared our lives, laughed together, and shed a few tears. I will forever be grateful that she taught me to brew a proper cup of English tea. She went home with suitcases full of Goo Goo Clusters, Moon Pies, four bottles of spirits, cornbread mix, and Hope Street pear tree honey.

I will always be thankful for my pen pal across the pond. Fate often brings people together in unusual ways.