An Extraordinary Letter in the Mail
It seems like nothing out of the ordinary.
- Write the words in a letter.
- Lick the envelope closed.
- Add a U.S. postal stamp.
But a walk to the mailbox is monumental when you’re sending your love.
Putting our heart into the world is risky. It makes us vulnerable. It opens us up to rejection in a way that feels dangerous.
We never know how our love will be received.
Will it be appreciated, as a valued letter to be treasured?
Or will it be dismissed, as unsolicited junk to be thrown in the trash?
Yet still.
We do it.
We take our chances and spread our love and hope for ripples to reach the right person in the right place at the right time.
Eventually we all do it. Risking to love is a process we trust again and again and again. From the first person to the last, we all sooner or later pull our heart out of our soul to lend to another body, and hope our heart finds its new home in gentle hands.
As Brian McLaren says,
“To trust in the process is another way of saying to trust in an intelligence wiser than current human intelligence, to trust in a love deeper than current expressions of human love, to trust in a desire stronger and wiser than current expressions of human desire.”
This dare to love—with no backup plan—is our act of faith, our test of courage, our practice of giving.
And then, in life’s neverending goodness, maybe love will circle back around and return to us, completing the cycle.
I place the white envelope—my tangible trust—in the black mailbox. I raise the red flag to signal the mail carrier. Come pick up my heart today. Send it into the world.
It may be camouflaged as a simple letter in the mail. But it holds all my love. Handle with care.
Any time we share our heart, in whatever way we send it, is no ordinary thing.
Love is always extraordinary.
What daring act of love (and EVERY act of love is brave and generous and good) have you given or received lately?
revised from the archives
What precious thoughts dear Lisa! We tend to overlook letters in the mail nowadays, instead, opting for the quick text. But I have so appreciated the little notes and “Thinking of You” cards that always seem to come just when I’ve most needed them! Thanks for encouraging us to keep taking the risk to care and to love! Blessings to you!
Thanks, Bettie. I love receiving those little notes and cards too. I want to be better about sending them myself!
This is beautiful Lisa. You have so much love to give and I know the heart and soul behind these words. It is such a brave thing that you do sending your love out into the world. ❤️
Thank you, my dear friend. ❤️ I know you understand what I’m doing. Your encouragement to me to continue on has been invaluable!
Daring to love and caring to love are essential to what it means to be human. Beautifully expressed here, Lisa. Blessings!
Such a beautiful statement, Martha. I agree with you: Daring and caring to love are essential to what it means to be human. May we always do both.
Lisa, I pray that the love you sent will be returned to you in a deluge!
I LOVE written correspondence. I’m arthritic now, so I purposely keep the script loose and large (and heaven knows it’s nearly illegible, which may defeat the purpose! :-)), but I send it out nonetheless. Once I kept track of my cards/letters, and I had sent well over a thousand in a year. Not hard to do if, as Alexandra Stoddard penned in Gift of a Letter,” you keep a letter wardrobe at the ready.
But it doesn’t have to be fancy. Just pick up your pen and pour out your soul. And sometimes (and more often), we can say things better in writing than verbally. Writing allows us to slow down and weigh our words with care.
I was just thinking about a dear, dear friend who has been gone a little over three years now. She moved out of town, but not nearly so far away that we could not have seen each other “half-way” for lunch, etc. But something had definitely shifted in our relationship. I could tell finally in no uncertain terms that she was ending our dear friendship of over 40years. No known reason. No known cause. I agonized and stewed, and GRIEVED! My family could tell you. I wondered what on earth I’d done. I honestly didn’t know. Finally, I swallowed my pride and poured my love and grief into a letter in a posture of humility, admitting I’m chief of sinners, and if there were anything I needed to confess to her or for which to seek forgiveness, she had only to tell me. About a week later, I received *her* letter by post. She said she was crying too hard to pick up the phone and talk. She said it was nothing I’d done–not anything that involved me at all, but a personal issue that was consuming her. She asked *my* forgiveness, and we renewed our friendship. She drove to St. L to attend one of my milestone b/day parties, and we talked a # of times after that. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that my love was returned by post and also in person. She is with the Lord now, and whatever had burdened her is no more.
Lisa, John Donne so aptly said, “. . . more than kisses, letters mingle souls; For thus, friends absent speak.” No truer words were spoken.
Keep Hallmark and the USPS in business, Lisa!
Love you much,
XO
Lynn
I have been so very, very blessed by the cards and notes I’ve received from you, sweet Lynn! I love seeing your handwriting on an envelope in my mailbox; I know I’m in for a real treat. ❤️
I appreciate you sharing this story about your friend (and I’m sorry she is gone now). I wonder how many relationships could be repaired if we would all be more like you and take the initiative to reconnect in a personal way. I hope you realize what a treasure you are in this world!!! Love you much, too!
Praying right now for an open-hearted reception for your letter and your love.
Thank you so much, Michele. ❤️
What a simple but profound post Lisa!
I love getting love though the post & sending love through snail mail (as we call it here).
To answer your question; It was our wedding anniversary this week & we received a beautiful card in the mail from my mother in law who never forgets, apart from hubby & I, the only one who remembers now (as both my parents & Steve’s Dad have now passed).
And I created a Birthday card for my youngest grandson & sent it off with his gift through the mail this week too!
Blessings to you, Jennifer
Oh, how beautiful that your m-i-l continues to remember your anniversary! That is such a dear thing for her to do. I’m sure your grandson was so excited to receive your card and gift in the mail. I’m so thankful that snail mail still exists as an avenue for use to send our love!
Love this post – I am always sending cards and letters, and it is a dying art. But people do appreciate it and always say how grateful they are. I have a whole cabinet of cards, notes, and beautiful paper so I can jot off a note whenever I think of someone! Thanks for sharing the idea!
Ann, you are to be commended for staying prepared and then following through with sending cards and letters! What a beautiful gift others are receiving from your hand. And yes, it is a dying art, which makes me sad. I hope it will never completely die out though as long as there are people like you and others who continue the practice. I want to be in that number as well.
ahhh, my word of year – courage is found here today. Yes takes courage to write that letter then to send it too. Courage to reach out to that friend and ask for help, to set that date for coffee to ask for help or just to talk, to vulnerable but I find that is most holy ground isn’t it? Courage, risk, holy ground. something about those ingredients we need to ponder….
I appreciate you highlighting the courage aspect. There have been times when I’ve questioned if I should send a card or not to someone. Sometimes it does take courage to do it. On the flip side, I’ve appreciated the vulnerability (and time and energy) from every person who has sent a card to me because it does feel like holy ground indeed! Thanks, Jean.
I love this so much, Lisa! “Any time we share our heart, in whatever way we send it, is no ordinary thing.” Absolutely. This post reminds me of one of my favorite poems, “A Noiseless Patient Spider” by Walt Whitman. I fling until my gossamer thread until I catch. Visiting from The Crazy Little Lovebirds Linkup.
A Noiseless Patient Spider
By Walt Whitman
A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
Oh, my, this poem! I love it so much, Jennifer. It captures the theme of my word Ripple so well. I’ll be copying it down and putting it into my folder of poems to memorize. Thank you for sharing it here!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, too, Lisa! You’re very welcome. 🙂
Beautiful post Lisa. I try to keep the focus on giving love rather than rceiving it in return. I’m a happier camper that way. When love is returned it is icing on the cake.
You’re wise, Nancy. When we give away our love without strings attached, we (and the recipient too!) can feel so much freedom and spaciousness in that love. That’s a true gift. ❤️
Interesting post. I guess it is a risky endeavour. But what if it gets lost, rather than unwelcomed? I feel there’s a story in that too! #WeekendCoffeeShare
Yes, that’s definitely a consideration too, Lydia. Often we can’t know if our mail is even received, either figuratively OR literally. (I love when I have the option of a proof of delivery for snail mail!) It’s a chance we take, and the possibility we hold open. For sure there is a story in that too! 🙂
Beautiful thoughts Lisa.
Thanks, Jennifer. It’s something I think about often.
There’s nothing like a beautiful hand-written card or note just waiting to be found in the mailbox, read many times, displayed on a desk or table, cherished forever. Thank you for capturing the essential gift this is to the sender as well as the receiver, Lisa.
Sure beats a hastily sent text.
I agree with you, Linda. I love discovering personal mail in my mailbox. Just today I received a handwritten envelope with a save-the-date card to a friend’s wedding. It felt so personal seeing her handwriting that I hadn’t seen in awhile. We all love and still need these heart-to-heart connections in all the ways we can get them!
Most of the postal mail I receive is unsolicited advertising, political appeals, sometimes addressed to me or my husband personally (with our names often spelled wrong) or just to “current occupant”. So when I get a personal letter, I am thrilled beyond measure. So I have begun doing more of the same. I’ve always sent thank-you notes, which have completely dropped off the planet (especially among younger people). That would be fine, if they would at least acknowledge by text or email, but alas, most don’t. But I keep sending the wedding and baby gifts.
I know what you mean, Aletha. Most of my mail is impersonal too (and even worse is when the marketers make it APPEAR to be personal but it still ends up being junk mail when you open it up). And yes, I do appreciate too receiving an acknowledgement of some sort when I send a gift, at least so I’ll know that the gift was received because sometimes I wonder. But yes, we keep sending the gifts anyway.
So beautiful and thought-provoking. May all of the love you send be returned 100-fold! <3
Thank you, Donna!
That’s very true, Lisa. I have a friend who always takes the time to write cards to us. It is very precious of her. I seldom take the time to do that except at Christmas. I hope you get lots of love in return. 🙂
I appreciate those who still write cards, too. I used to try to write a personal note of some sort on the Christmas cards I sent out, but the past few years I just get photo cards printed up that don’t even require a signature. It always feels like I’m cheating somehow, taking the easy way out…
Dare to share love with the world!!!
Yes! I know you do that, Barb!
Tugging at my heart strings today with this one Lisa.
Visiting today from SSPS
I know we share similar hearts on this, Paula. Thank you for being an understanding friend.
Lisa, this is such a beautiful post. “It may be camouflaged as a simple letter in the mail. But it holds all my love. Handle with care.” Praying that your letter is well received and the love returned to you.
Thank you, sweet Ashley. There are some letters that I’m still awaiting acknowledgement of, but my heart says continue sending them anyway.
Beautiful thoughts, Lisa. I hope you get lots of love in return. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
Thanks, Natalie. ❤️
Lisa, that is so good and so beautifully said. WOW. It is so true and I’ve done this many times with an estranged family member. Having no expectations, but just wanting to let them know that I love them.
Yep. You get where I’m coming from, Kirstin. I have to remind myself to keep sending my love anyway. If nothing else, it helps me to feel better to know I’m doing it.
Lisa, this is beautifully written. As always, I find inspiration in your posts. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you for your kind words, Steph. I appreciate you hosting the linkup and providing a place for us to share our lives each week.
What a beautiful post, Lisa. It really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing it, and your heart, with Hearth and Soul!
Thanks, April. I’m glad it resonated with you. I think most of us can relate to that longing of wanting to share our love with someone, yet not knowing if it will be received even while hoping with all our heart that it will be.
I totally agree, Lisa. I can definitely relate!!
There is so much to ponder in your words today.
Am I worthy of love?
Will I get the response I am hopping for?
Should I take it out of the mailbox before the mailman gets here?
Will it arrive in time?
Why did I wait so long?
Beautiful questions, Barb! I sent another package last week and asked those kinds of questions again….