On Letter Writing

I am a letter writer.  Problem is, not many other people are.  It's a dying art with all of the quick electronic communication these days.

I'm trying to pass along to my children the fun of writing and receiving letters.  Thank you to the faithful few  who regularly write back!  We love, love, love getting mail.  Seriously, really LOVE it!

Elizabeth working on writing small letters
so the address fits on the envelope.

When is a good opportunity to write a letter, you might ask?

• holidays - a wonderful time to send a craft or a note to family members or friends
• birthdays - this is a no-brainer, right?
• sickness/sympathy - you don't have to write a lot of words to brighten someone's day; it's a blessing to know people are thinking of and praying for you
• anytime - when someone you love comes to mind (getting a card in the mail is WAY cooler than an email, even though it is slower to get there)
• when you feel thankful - did someone do something for you, invest in you, get you a gift?  Drop a note of thanks in the mail!
• when someone needs a little encouragement - an "I believe in you!" or "I'm praying for you!" note can really work wonders in dark places
• sponsored kids - if your family sponsors a child in another country, you can all write to him/her regularly
• parent or grandparent at work - send dad or mom a letter at work, maybe pictures to hang in their office or cube.  I think this is really fun!

Brian's letters right now consist of scribbles and stickers.

Do any of these things bring to mind someone you can write to today?  Getting kids involved in letter writing is the funnest!  They can write to their friends or make a picture to include in your card.  Letter writing can be just another little subtle step in helping them look outside themselves to think about loving someone else.  We can all use more practice at that!

For me, getting a letter in the mail is like receiving a gift.  I think, Wow, that person, at some point in their life in the last week, set aside time to think of and write to me.  You may not feel quite so excited by a piece of paper with ink on it, but I'm sure you have crazy people like me in your life who would love to hear from you!  What are you waiting for?  Go write a letter!