Love Letters

I’m not sure what it is, whether it’s the prevalence of texts as opposed to conversations, or emails instead of snail mail, but it seems like the age old tradition of love letters has bitten the dust these days. I get it though… Why wait for someone to receive something days from now and pay postage for it when you could just text them and have them know immediately? Why take the time to put something down when you could just go see them?

Why write it out when you will probably just say it all out loud eventually anyways… Right?

But have you ever noticed how different you sound in the moment than when you think something out, make yourself nervous with second guessing? Have you ever thought about what that person would think, reading something and imagining you sitting there writing it and thinking about them?

Have you ever thought about picking every word you write just so you could sit and imagine them smiling, even though you won’t see it when it happens?

See, it’s that sort of drawn-out, nail-biting anticipation that made our grandparents weak in the knees. It’s why their favorite love letters ended up dog-eared and stored away, tied up in boxes and tucked into diaries to be read and reread. Famous love letters have launched battles, inspired the receivers to paint masterpieces or find their moment of ‘Eureka!’. Some have even been published in books for future generations to devour.

Because you see, there were no Skype sessions back then, no texts or emails to be sent at all hours of the day. And there were just some things you didn’t want said over the phone, out loud so that wherever you were the whole world could hear.

So maybe, just once this year, send a love letter thru the mail. Doesn’t matter if it’s to your mother, or maybe an old friend you don’t see often. Anyone who would appreciate it. There are even some great programs to send mail to our servicemen overseas, just so they have something nice to read.

Just write down what you’re thinking about them, lick that stamp and put it in the mail knowing that, eventually, it should make its way into their hands.

And then smile with the knowledge that soon, someone somewhere, will be smiling because of you.