November 21, 2012

• Snail Mail.

  I've had this written for a couple weeks (no shocker) and decided it could make a good "Thanksgiving" post with a little tweaking.

  I may or may not be one of the only people, at least my age, that sits down on a regular basis and puts pen to paper. This is on my mind, mostly because I ran out of stamps recently and like an old lady purchased a roll of 100 the other day because I'll use them.

  This isn’t something new to me, I’ve actually always been like this. Through HS as the President of my (small) class, I made it a point to write a letter weekly to one classmate. Every 10-11 weeks, they’d get another one. In college, I made 2 old lady friends who only knew letter writing and we are still pen pals. Perfect. Also, somewhere in college, not even sure how it began (maybe after I left and she was still at SAU) , a friend and I started writing back and forth (letters would get to be 6+ pages ). We’ve since stopped and ran with the punches of the time but I sure enjoyed that. And even now, I still try to make it a point to drop a letter in the mail every couple of weeks, if not every week, to someone who is on my mind. 

  I love receiving letters. Maybe I put too much worth in them but the idea that someone sat down and took the time to write out their thoughts in a less than convenient way, means a lot. I’d like to others think like I do but even if they don’t, I’m not sure I care because it’s something I enjoy doing. 

  A couple months ago, I sent a letter I had been thinking of writing for awhile – a long while, probably years, to be honest. I finally sat down and wrote a thank you letter. 14 years after the fact.

   Here’s the content of that letter.

  “I’m only about 14 years behind on writing this, which certainly makes me feel old and probably you as well. I knew what I’m about to write 14 years ago and have only continued to grow in my gratitude. In my time at Algoma, there were a couple people that stood out to me in ways mere words cannot describe. Even as the rambunctious 5^th grader I was, I knew you were a teacher who went beyond her job description. I may not remember anything specific you taught me and to be honest, I really don’t. But a child, a person, knows when someone genuinely cares. This was something I will always appreciate about my 5^th grade teacher. If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve made an impact, wonder no longer. You definitely have as you've taught me more than a textbook could and that is something of much greater value to me.

  If I remember correctly, back in the day I was quite the procrastinator (which has mostly changed) – so this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that I’m this late on simply saying thank you. Thank you for living a godly life by example while expecting nothing in return, not only then but to present day. This life has been blessed and thankful for you for many years and it was about time you knew your seemingly small actions made a world of difference. Thank you for being part of shaping the way I go about teaching, leading and coaching to name a few areas you’ve impacted.”

  The day it was received, these two things were posted.

   

  Coincidence?  I don’t really believe anything is coincidence. Not to say my words are what made her decide to go back to school but I can say, I don’t think they hurt. Sharing my thoughts – my emotions – my feelings is something that doesn't come natural to me. Probably 90%+ of what is written here never leaves my lips and is recorded for my own accord.  I'm a pretty low key kind of person but it’s things like this that remind me it never hurts to say something nice and someone may even need to hear your words. Would it have been as meaningful in an email or facebook message? Perhaps. But call me old fashion. There are times when things don’t need to be instant and we should slow down and really be thankful. I think we often think nice things but how often do we take the time to say them?

   

  It takes just that...time. The question is are we willing to take it? To take time to specifically be thankful (not just on Thanksgiving) in a world and day and age that everything is instant and go-go-go. Take time to be thankful to the Giver of every good gift then to the gifts themselves. There's little to no room for regret if you do.

   

  I, for one, can say I'm blessed beyond I deserve not because of anything I've done solely but because of Him. 

   

  • 11:36 pm
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