Almost 2000 years ago Claudia Severa, wife of Aelius Brocchus, commander of an unidentified fort somewhere in northern England, wrote to Sulpicia Lepidina, wife of Flavius Cerialis, commander at Vindolanda.

"Claudia Severa to her Lepidina greetings.

On 11 September, sister, for the day of the celebration of my birthday, I give you a warm invitation to make sure that you come to us, to make the day more enjoyable for me by your arrival, if you are present.

Give my greetings to your Cerialis. My Aelius and my little son send him their greetings.

(different handwriting) I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail.

To Sulpicia Lepidina, (wife) of Cerialis, from Cl. Severa."

Besides this being a wonderful document that gives us yet another historical source that is so familiar that it makes the centuries between Claudia and us almost melt away, it is also part of the second-oldest writing sample found in Britain; the Vindolanda Tablets.

They're wooden tablets written with ink messages, records of military subjects but also personal messages.
Hundreds have been found since the 1970s, over 700 translated, more are being found to this day.

Vindoland was a Roman fort in northern England.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda 

The only reason they survived was the climate that allowed the soggy water clogged earth to preserve the tablets thrown in a rubbish heap in a corner of the Fort commander's house.
They were written by many different people, from common to high ranking.

These tablets are also the oldest samples of ink written texts in Britain and Claudia's birthday invitation is possibly the oldest surviving Latin text written by a woman.

The note contained 2 different styles of handwriting, so likely two writers.

It seems she had someone write the note but then decided to later add something personal herself, which again is really familiar and something we'd still do today... if people still wrote letters :(

Lepidina was probably not really Claudia's sister, but they were clearly very close friends.
You can imagine these two women, married to military men, living at these forts in England, with probably few other women, especially of their own class to hang out with.

You can feel Claudia's excitement about the coming party, seeing her friend again, have fun and a great party to interrupt the perhaps monotonous and perhaps even boring life at the fort.

I hope the party was a great success.