Post-apocalyptic story about searching through post office

[brianmelendez]

A friend wrote:

I’m trying to relocate a short story I read in about 1983. The story takes place after a nuclear war. There’s a family that lives in a small town and from time to time they go to the old post office and look through the piles of old mail. They don’t expect to find anything new, but one day they find an old letter addressed to them.

This description doesn’t ring a bell with me. Can anyone identify this story?

[obfusciatrist]

A Letter from the Clearys by Connie Willis.

[Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew]

Just read this on Thanksgiving day. It’s in her short story collection Fire Watch.

[brianmelendez]

Thanks!

[Labrador_Deceiver]

@Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew

Just read this on Thanksgiving day. It’s in her short story collection Fire Watch.

Is it good?

[Hello_Again]

I read it in middle school and it stuck with me. So I’d say it’s good. It also won the Nebula Award for best short story of 1981 & 1982. So that’s another vote for “good.”