"As we get older, little things like a #2 pencil seem to grow even more meaningful. They carry us back to earlier times, when handwritten notes mattered, school desks held tiny treasures, and ideas felt more personal because we shaped each letter ourselves," said Social Worker Lauree Lapidus with NJHealth Hospice and Palliative Care. "We may not reach for pencils as often in this age of text messages and touchscreens, but they still have a place in our hearts."