Today is "I Love to Write Day." Honest. The I Love to Write Day Web site declares that it’s a day for "people of all ages to practice their writing skills."
Do you like to write? I do. I like to write stories and articles. I like to rewrite other people’s writing; after all, I am an editor! But mostly I like to write notes and letters. Letter-writing is shrinking in the days of electronic and instant communication. Now, I text my mom or send messages on Facebook to friends when I would have sent a letter in past. But I still send cards and letters from time to time. And it’s because of my grandmother.
When I moved to Nashville from Texas, my grandmother asked me to send her cards or notes from time to time. She didn’t want me to call her. She didn’t have a computer for me to send e-mail or other messages. She specifically asked me to send her mail. So every few weeks, I would purchase a greeting card or just sit down with paper and compose a few thoughts to send. Sometimes it would relate to a holiday or special event. Other times it would be "just because." Last year my grandmother died. My mom found a stack of those cards, a small investment of time and money but a continuing bond between my grandmother and me. Now, I cannot walk past a greeting card display without thinking of her. I purchase cards from time to time and send to my parents or friends. And I think specifically about what to write inside those cards. Written words make an impact.
Written words can impact your ministry, too. Parents have told me that their children sleep with postcards under their pillows, postcards sent by a teacher at church. Teachers have told me, with tears in their eyes, of their appreciation for a handwritten thank-you note from their minister. Writing can make an impact.
For this "I Love to Write Day" put pen to paper. Write notes to a few parents that need encouragement. Buy a box of thank you notes and spend the day thanking people in your church or your life that need to hear your appreciation. Send a short note to people on your prayer list, telling them that you are remembering them. Jot quick notes to a few children in your ministry. (Of course, you could also write a note to the editors of your curriculum and tell them what a great job they do.)
My kindergartners love to write, too!
The act of writing helps you think about a person specifically and may become a treasured encouragement that a person can reread in days ahead. And, let’s face it, saving text messages in a drawer just doesn’t work as well.
What do you love to write?
