Finding Joy in Incoming Mail

Ronna Vigil, in Pen it Forward, said, “I believe the world will be a better place, our homes a happier space, and our relationships better than ever when we take time to show we care in a kind note or a letter. Even more, your note or letter can be a meaningful gift and life-long treasure.” In beginning this ministry, I didn’t stop to think that I might get mail, too. So when I started finding happy mail in my mail box I was delighted.

I sure had a happy corner in my home when I settled in my chair to enjoy a letter that arrived in my mailbox yesterday. The envelope was fat and decorated with a teapot sticker. I think the Wind in the Willows sticker on the back was inherited from her mother. Tracy’s mom sent us beautiful personal Christmas letters every year. She had beautiful handwriting and a flair with words that made us feel so appreciated.
 

Tracy’s mother is in heaven, and thanks to Facebook, I’ve been able to keep in touch with Tracy, who lives several states away. I comment on her posts; she comments on mine. We push the like button. I promise to pray for her. She promises to pray for me. I watch her children grow up. She watches my children and their families. But as important as that connection is, there is a level of intimacy in a letter that cannot be met through Facebook.

So when I opened Tracy’s seven-page letter, written on beautiful stationery with its green border and line of feathers across the top (the envelope had the same feathers, and a beautiful square butterfly stamp our local post office doesn’t have), my heart bubbled joy. It was certainly a soul-satisfying visit through the written page – a meaningful gift and life-long treasure.

Who did you think of while reading this? Get out your stationery and have a “real” visit with a friend. Write a memory, a bit of news, and some encouragement. Then come back and count your postmarks with us.