Have You Written A Letter Lately?

Photo from ehow.com

With email, text messaging, Facebook, and Twitter, sitting down with a pen and a piece of paper to write a letter is practically becoming a lost art. Yet, receiving a letter in the mail is such a special treasure. I have even known people whose sole Christmas gift to family and friends is a thoughtfully penned letter. And you know what? That simple gift is often the most cherished of all.

I was both encouraged, and challenged, by these words:

"We all have someone waiting for a letter, and each of us has someone thinking about him or her and wishing the mail would bring some sort of word, some message...Start by writing a letter to one person, and continue by writing letters to others who are waiting for a letter." (The Hidden Art of Homemaking) by Edith Schaeffer

What a gift it would be for grandparents who live miles away to receive weekly update letters in your own handwriting about your children’s week—the funny things they’ve done and said, how they’re growing and learning, and any other highlights. I guarantee they’ll save these, and someday you’ll find them, and what a gift they’ll be for your grown children as well. As Edith Schaeffer writes, "When they finish reading your letter, they will feel as if they had been spending the week with you."

You can write a letter and pop it in the mail today, and it will make it in time for Valentine's Day (or thereabouts). It will thoroughly brighten the recipient's day--maybe even week. It only costs a postage stamp and a little time. Yet the gift it gives is immeasurable.