I’ve always written letters. Since I was a little kid. I’ve no idea why. And then cards as I got older and life got busier.
About two years ago I found the More Love Letters project online. I can’t even remember how I came up on this. But as soon as I checked it out and read the “about us” I knew it was a project I wanted to participate in.
It’s a really simple concept: Two friends got together and decided to start writing letters of encouragement to those in need. Initially the recipients were from the U.S.A, but the project has now expanded to other countries.
Every month people submit “love letter requests.” You nominate someone that you think could really use encouragement. You tell a bit of their story, and submit the request to the website. Then each month new requests are posted.
From there, you, the reader, get to choose who you write a letter of encouragement to. I’ve written letters to children who are being bullied; teenagers with autism; lonely grandmothers in Scotland; women who’ve just left abusive relationships. You can write letters, send cards, get creative.
I’ve read about how these letters have made a difference in people’s lives. It’s amazing to know that we can all positively affect someone’s life....someone we don’t even know.
Here’s a snippet from a recent newsletter-which prompted me to write this post:
"Of course, though, with all Christmas miracles, things never go 100% as we expect them.
A storm reached our area, and living on a small island meant we were completely cut off from the mail for the days leading up to Christmas.
...Finally, after circling the airport for several hours, we finally got some post! Late that evening, our postman arrived at the door. He had so many letters-- all bundled up in piles with elastic bands. There was no way he could fit all of them into the letter box, so in he came, a bit like Father Christmas, armed with lots of festive letters from 8 different countries, 32 USA states, 4 Canadian provinces, and as close as 350 miles away and as far away as over 10,500 miles!
My mum received them all packed in a box on Christmas Day. She was very overwhelmed and surprised by the love shown to her by so many people. Every day, she has been selecting some to open and read aloud. She has been encouraged by people’s words and kindness and felt less alone hearing of others’ shared experiences. She absolutely loved hearing about others’ lives and hobbies, laughed at people’s jokes, was awed by homemade cards, and felt seen, loved, and cared about.
While the Christmas season draws to a close on the calendar, the feeling has not yet died in our homes. The cards still arrive in their bundles (consistently too large to come through the letterbox!), and people’s festive greetings still bring so much joy.
People may think that they are only putting some words on paper and that it will have little impact. Yet I wish they could know it means so much more. They are sending gifts of love, happiness, and care, which have traveled far and will last so much longer than one season."
This is such an easy project that I hope you’ll consider participating. You can check it out here: https://www.moreloveletters.com/
