Heart to Paper

"In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives." -Anatole Broyard

A piece of paper on which an acquaintance, friend, lover, or family member has scribbled their thoughts and emotions can mean so much to us. Individuals value the few letters they receive, storing them away like pirate treasure, occasionally peeking at them to reread the precious words within. But when was the last time you received a letter in the mail? Letter writing has become a sort of lost art in this modern era. Sure we have email, text messaging, and skype calls, yet none of those can compare to a letter. Why has this meaningful art form been lost?

"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart." 

-Phyllis Theroux

Letters can make all the difference in the relationships we enjoy with others. Letters can move entire groups of people into action. Letters can help us convey that which we cannot fully express in conversation. For me letters have played a critical role in my life, and they have helped to shape the person who I have become today.

I have never been one to speak with a silver tongue. My mind is not one that is sharp enough to be verbose in conversation, but when it comes to writing it is entirely a different story. When I write I can more clearly express what is on my mind. In no way, shape, or form am I a linear thinker. I think in a sort of cloud with different thoughts floating around that I can grab onto without transition. Writing helps me to organizes these clouds into a clear picture. I am no stranger to writing blog posts like this one, but to me my most heart felt pieces of writing comes in the shape of letters.

The most significant impact that letters have had on my life occurred this summer when I was in Costa Rica. For the duration of the summer Allyson and I exchanged letters in which we pushed and encouraged each other. In the letters I shared my developing spiritual journey with her. Eighty-eight letters later I was home in the United States. I had been through so much and been apart from Allyson for an extended period of time. In those letters we shared our entire summer and our struggles. We supported each other and just talked. At the time our relationship was still in its early stages. Those letters showed our commitment to each other and strengthened our relationship beyond anything that coffee shop conversations ever could. I don't know if we would have made it through our summer and still together without the medium the letters provided. My entire summer is contained within those letters, and through them you can trace my love for God grow as the summer progressed.

In approximately one month, I have resolved to write letters. As I previously mentioned I am from a Catholic background. A strong memory from my childhood is the celebration of Lent within the Catholic Church. The purpose of Lent is essentially fasting to further your relationship with God before the celebration of Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when Catholics are symbolically reborn from ashes (from ashes we are born and ashes we shall become) and lasts for 40 days until Easter. In this period Catholics are called to give up the consumption of meat and give up something to fast. Unfortunately, in my up bringing I observed that this process turned into giving something up and not replacing that time with an intentional action or actions which further your relationship with the Lord. Many times individuals give up soda or chocolate. My question has always been, what does this do? How am I closer to God by giving up a sweet? Other times something like video games or television may be given up, but then the time is replaced with something else like playing board games, complaining, or finding loop holes in what you have given up.

While Lent no longer pertains to me, I feel that the concept of fasting or performing some intentional action to further your bond with God is beautiful. This year Lent begins on March 9th, and I will be taking part. For forty days leading up to Easter, I will be writing letters, 40 letters. I feel like I have been called by God to be intentional in my life and reach out to others around me. Each day I would like to write a letter to a different person in my life, no one specific, just whoever is on my mind at the time. In the letters I would just like to share with everyone on a genuine level. Letters and the process that goes into them is a priceless event.  As I write the letters I would just like to reach out to those around me: friends, family, classmates, estranged acquaintances, and even people I recently met. Unlike giving up chocolate, I believe that some good will come out of these 40 letters. Not only do I wish to live intentionally, but I will be giving up a large chunk of time for over a month to spill my thoughts. That in itself is the idea of Lent, which I wish to embrace, fasting with intentional living. Most of all, I need your support. Forty days of writing is going to be difficult to hold true to, but I am determined to do this. If I lose sleep over it, so be it. I have coffee to sustain me for that time.

Deu 9:18

Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord's sight and so arousing his anger.