A Handwritten Note

There is something special about walking ahead.
There is something valuable about remembering the path you were on as you go forward.
That remembering can help someone else.
The fact that you have walked where they are walking is a tremendous blessing.

I thoroughly enjoy having young moms and their children in my home.
I love seeing our toys get even more mileage.
I enjoy watching other children play with toys my children played with when they were young.
It warms my heart to spend the morning listening to the heart of a young mom.

Young moms need encouragement.
Young moms need to know that they are doing a good job.
Young moms need to know what they are doing is vitally important.
Especially when young moms feel unappreciated and overwhelmed, they need the reminder.

My daughter and her husband had their annual barbecue at our home.
We have room to accommodate all of their friends.
My husband and I go out for a portion of the day, so they can grill and enjoy the house.
I like to talk to many of them when I return home.

I have watched this group over the years.
They were single and then newly married and some are now parents.
Each are in different stages of life.
I am watching the number of children steadily increasing.

All of our toys get pulled out and enjoyed.
Even if the moms bring their own things, Mrs. Gallagher’s toys are the most fun.
Isn’t that always the way it goes?
The toys are new and intriguing to them even if some of the toys are thirty years old.

One young mom just had her second baby.
She had a little boy after having a daughter.
I had a present for her new son.
I enjoy buying baby clothes.

After all the pink things she had for her daughter, receiving boy clothes is fun for her.
She and her husband loved the little sweatsuit with the dinosaur hood.
The hood has triangular shapes going up the center.
When her son finally grows into the outfit, he will look like a little Tyrannosaurus.

The other day a card came in the mail.
It was a lovely note, handwritten, thanking me for the outfits for her son.
This sweet mom wrote about how they look forward to my daughter’s barbecue each year.
She wrote that a certain shop we talk about that is halfway between each of our houses.

We are going to plan a day to meet there and shop in this little country store.
The thank-you note warmed my heart.
To some it may be just a note.
To me, it was a bit of this young mom’s heart carefully placed inside the envelope.

Note writing is seemingly out of date.
Thank you notes can be sent as a text or an email, which still serves a purpose.
The old-fashioned art of note writing, in cursive, on note paper is becoming obsolete.
We must bring it back.

This young mom’s note was so sweet.
She included a picture of her precious son.
Her little 2 1/2 year old daughter drew a picture for me.
She put a caption on the picture so I would understand what her little girl drew for me.

It was the perfect note.
She placed a bit of herself in an envelope.
It was time and effort and thought all rolled into one.
It was a gift.

The art of note writing must return.
Think of the joy it brings.
You go to the mailbox and pull out your daily mail.
You see an envelope addressed just to you.

It is not junk mail, or an advertisement.
It is in someone’s own hand.
It is personal.
It is cherished.

Note writing was ingrained in me as a child.
If someone took the time to give you a gift, you can take the time to thank them.
If I heard that once, I heard that a hundred times.
My mother was right; she systematically instilled a note writing habit in me quite young.

I, in turn, instilled it in my children.
They each know the importance of taking the time to thank someone for their kindness.
It is so refreshing to receive an old-fashioned note.
It epitomizes the adage: You’ve Got Mail.

I grew up in the days of cursive writing.
I even had handwriting homework in school.
I had special paper with solid lines and dotted lines that helped me form my letters.
My writing was checked and double checked and it had to be legible.

Computers were not part of our daily life then.
Typewriters were used.
Often, writing things in our own hand was the most common option.
Today, we have people that cannot write cursive at all and are not able to read it.

How far we have come.

Many things are coming back and are considered vintage.
Vintage clothes, shoes, and accessories are all the rage.
Vinyl record albums are making a comeback.
Why not handwritten notes?

How about a bit of nostalgia?
How about vintage correspondence?
How about putting a little of ourselves in an envelope?
How about sending and anticipating handwritten letters once again?

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
(2 Thessalonians 3:17,18)

Paul, the disciple of Jesus who wrote most of the New Testament, often wrote in his own hand.
Some think that perhaps Paul had problems with his eyes and often used a grammateus.
A grammateus was a scribe, a clerk, a secretary, or a recorder.
Paul made it a point to tell his readers when the letter was written in his handwriting.

That was important to Paul.
He poured himself into the letters as he was guided by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s letters became a good portion of the New Testament.
Paul’s letters were inspired, God-breathed, yet written out in his own hand.

When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)

Paul was arrested suddenly when the Roman empire had turned against Christians.
He was cold and needed his cloak.
He wanted his scrolls to study.
He wanted his parchments to write.

Let’s bring back the art of handwritten notes again.
Let’s take a little extra time to brighten someone’s day.
Let’s put a bit of ourselves into each envelope.
You’ve Got Mail.

Wouldn’t that be lovely?