A Note

If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. - Philemon 1:18-19 (NRSV)

As you are aware, my dad died in the end of April. Our family was flooded with cards and condolences. It has taken until now to get through them all. And I had to go back over all the remembrance pages people wrote at the service. Then I when back over the ones people gave us at my mom’s service. After all this reading of so many memories and condolences I was left feeling affirmed, loved, and overwhelmed by the compassion and care of so many.  Then I got in the mail a card, a thank you card to be exact. It was from someone that I had helped and it was a sincere and heartfelt thanks for what I had done. And it cemented something in my mind; a hand written note has tremendous meaning, significance and power.

It seems that electronic media has stolen a lot of the things we use to write each other about. Faxing has replaced the need to pass papers back and forth. Text messaging has replaced handwritten notes families would leave for one another. Facebook, Instagram and all the rest have taken over for well wishes and birthday greetings and congratulations and sympathy cards we once sent. More and more we are allowing the quick and easy methods of today to erode the written note.

I have been sorting through family photos and mementos from my childhood and from my parents’ past and from their parents’ past. Among the items I have come across are postcards, letters, notes and greeting cards. The postcards and greeting cards are short; quick notes that mention an event or a few words of well wishes. The letters are pages long and contain mundane information about the weather, news about what is happening in the place where the writer lives, and reflections, observations and insights shared in an intimate and trusting fashion. These letters took time and effort to write. They weren’t a quick email “hi.” They aren’t a “Happy Birthday, enjoy your day” on a Facebook page. They are personal connections between people who are sharing about what is important to them.

I have decided that I need to write some letters. I need to write to my surviving uncle on my mom’s side and check in with him. I need to write to my surviving aunt on my dad’s side and let her know I am thinking of her. I need to write my nieces and nephews and just touch base. I need to write my brothers and let them know how I am doing and ask about how they are doing. I need to do this because writing a note sends a message: I care and have written this note taking the time to connect and share.

You see, I remember when I was younger how special it was to receive something in the mail. I remember when receiving cards, notes and care packages at camp or college helped me not only survive but thrive. I remember how loved and cared for I felt when people sent sympathy cards following the deaths of my parents. I remember how my kids loved to receive cards and notes from their grandparents and others. I remember how those letters, cards and notes made me feel and how that was a feeling of connection and care and love.

So I encourage you to take a few minutes each week to write to someone you care about. Not an email, not a post on their Facebook page, not a text message from your smart phone, not a quick email from the office. Write an honest-to-goodness letter, note or card; don’t just sign your name, write something. In this world of instant contact some good old snail-mail can be special and it really does tell someone you care.

I thank you God for those who care about me, for their reaching out to me with cards and letters. Thank you for the gift of reflection and writing you have given me. Help me to employ this gift to reach out and share my love and care with others through the written word. Be with everyone I have thought of as I have been writing this. Amen.