C.S. Lewis and I

What do I have in common with late author C.S. Lewis? Love for and devotion to letter-writing. Since a young girl, I’ve written letters. I so loved epistle writing that, as punishment for bad behavior, my Mom took away postage stamp-using privileges.

Mr. Lewis believed personally answering his mail showed more than good manners. He saw this as part of his service to God, feeling each correspondent deserved a reply. Sometimes brother Warnie and wife Joy helped lighten his load. He exchanged letters with his pen pal for decades and also wrote to children.

I’ve been down-sizing and in doing so unearthed piles of letters from ages past~some from WWII soldiers replying to my mom via the Red Cross. I’ve a special appreciation for these, having 3 sons in the military and knowing what letters meant to them during their 7 deployments. My love of letter-writing became a mission those years.

I also found a wartime letter written by one of my Dad’s siblings, telling him each of his 5 sisters chose a day of the week to write him during his tour in Europe. How that must have encouraged their brother!

Letter-writing’s referred to as a “lost art.” Folks say they don’t have time or they’re not gifted with words. Did you know it takes no more than 5 minutes for most people to write a few sentences in a note, letting someone know they’re remembered, prayed for, cared about?

Despite this modern age of technology, I still like a hand-written letter. There’s nothing like holding one in my hands, reading it at will, and treasuring it for a lifetime if I wish.

May I challenge you to drop someone a note this week? You never know if the words you share may be the gift of hope needed that very day. You might just be sending someone a treasure.

Also during down-sizing, I found this aged poem...

To "Say it with flowers" is one way of expressing yourself to a friend,

But a personal message is often just what you would like to send.

A message of hope to the weary ... to the sick, a note of good cheer,

To the well, to the glad, to the merry, to all in need, far and near.

In fact, the Pease* Line will give you a word to each friend, old or new,

And these words of good cheer which you send all the year like an echo will come back to you.

(L.F.P., Author)

*as written in the poem