We get our mail at the post office, in a little box of our own.  Some days there’s nothing, some days there’s worse than nothing – things I take home to trash. And some days, once in a while, there is a card or a letter, from someone who loves me, who prays for me before I even ask.

Alexandra Stoddard wrote a book whose title says it all:  The Gift of a Letter.  Yes, I buy books by authors with whom I see eye to eye, who don’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.  Why?  Because they remind me of things I may have misplaced.  Important things, like say, cards and letters.

Your friends will agree with me – a card or a letter is a treat, a tangible and forever treasured proof of love.  Not so a generic one-size-fits-all notice on Facebook.

You can cheat like I do.  Type all the news and print it out before tucking it into a card with just a few hand-scribbled words.  You can even cut and paste parts of e-mails and print them.  Add in a comic strip you cut out of the newspaper, a dried flower or sticker, a great quote, the name of a good book you just read, or a picture of you looking your worst so they’ll feel better.  Ask them how they are and what is new and what their kids/friends/dogs are up to.

If this all seems like a bit much, just do the prep for now.  Copy these words as a model – you’ll recall this from childhood:  Dear Buddy, How are you?  I am fine.  Love, Me.  P.S.  Write back soon.  Into a drawer or a basket or even a bowl, put your model along with your address book (when you find it), paper, envelopes and a couple of pens.  When you buy stamps (pretty ones!) put some of those in, too.