Cup of Inspiration

Today, October 9^th, is World Post Day. Today is the day to celebrate being able to send a letter to a friend or loved one, even if that person is halfway around the world.

These days we take for granted being able to communicate with people across different continents. You can Facetime with your best friend in Europe, sit in a Zoom meeting with colleagues in Asia, and text your sister across the United States. After that Zoom call, you can email an updated report to your colleagues. You can go onto Facebook and post updated photos from that birthday party for your sister to enjoy. You can use WhatsApp to send your best friend details on when you’ll be joining her next month for a joint vacation venture. Technology has truly made our world smaller.

It is nice to be able to reach people with the press of a button. However, along the way we have forgotten to appreciate holding a letter from someone we cherish. We are so accustomed to electronic communication that we may not appreciate opening an envelope and reading from a letter containing someone’s handwriting. In that letter we’ll not only be able to read the words on the page, but we can view the penmanship, observing the pen strokes revealing when someone was tense while writing a particular paragraph. We can read their words as they detail the joys of an opening of a new life chapter, or the pains of a chapter closing. The words tell the story, rather than emojis we see all too often on computer screens these days.

A handwritten letter can be saved to be reread over and over. It can be passed down to a new generation, allowing the next generation to read of the hope or heartbreak of those that came before them. A person can treasure a handwritten letter that was composed by a loved one, even when that loved one is tragically no longer with us.

Technology has certainly made several of our daily tasks faster and more efficient. By doing more with less time, we can fill that extra time by getting ahead on a new work project, taking a class, or even going out with friends for coffee. Today, consider using that extra time to sit down and write a letter to that friend across the world. Put pen to paper as you write to your sister across the country. Let your hand compose a letter of your feelings, your appreciation, your hopes, or even your sorrows. Let that letter be a part of you that you send to someone special in your life.