the lost art of letter writing

letterA handwritten note just arrived in the mail, complete with wax seal affixed to the back.

I stood at the mailbox for a moment, giddy with anticipation, and rubbed my thumb across the seal — a little afraid I’d lop off a chunk of wax.

Nobody ever sends me anything like this. Truth be told, I don’t bother to send anyone letters, either. It’s a sign of the times. An email would have been fine. A text message even better. In fact, the small kindness that elicited this note didn’t require anything at all.

Which is why this is so special.

The kindness of others often moves me — people who offer to pray for me, and I know they follow-through. People who support me. People who are inconvenienced but do something for me out of love. How often do I mumble a thank you and move on? We both move on, really. I mean, this isn’t about holding up the doer as some kind of epic hero — I’m not suggesting that our actions require anything more than a simple thank you. What I’m getting at is a different point: I could be a little more intentional in my appreciation for what others do.

And, I really should pick up one of those nifty wax seal kits.

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