YES, WE ARE BEGGING!

Begging for what, you might ask? Begging for the most important relationships in your life, that’s what! 

 Over the last week, I’ve had 17 interesting conversations with readers of this blog. And oh, the stories I have heard. You’ll read several of these beautiful anecdotes in future posts and I know you’ll be inspired.
 
It’s hard to describe the joy I feel hearing someone tell me of the impact a letter has made. Over and over, people express that the letter meant so much to both the recipient and to them as the writer. Those expressions become even more poignant when the loved one has died just months after receiving an affirming letter. What peace it gives those who can say they left nothing unsaid.
 
There were heartbreaking stories, too. The story of a devoted wife losing her best friend and soulmate to a sudden and fatal heart attack. It brought tears to my eyes to hear her say “I wish I had written him a letter to tell him how much I loved him and the many reasons I was so grateful for him.” She expressed how much she would have loved to have had a letter from her late husband, too, and reflected how much his children would have cherished a letter from their dad to remind them of his deep love for them. They never imagined he would be gone so soon.
 
Another reader shared about losing her mother as a teenager, saying how much she would have cherished a letter from her mom. I’ve heard many, many similar stories of regret over the last decade about letters that were never written, including in my own life. And they all grieve me.
 
There are many reasons we don’t get around to doing something that we know is so important. Busy lives, the tyranny of the urgent, the weight of world events and the distraction of social media are common. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps the number of letters needing to be written seems overwhelming. Accumulated hurts might have shuttered a heart and the thought of writing letters like this seems daunting. 

 Why withhold the blessing of affirmation that can be read and re-read? We never know the difference that our words can make.
 
Recently, a workshop participant unfolded a letter that she has carried in her wallet for many years. She has read the letter countless times. It’s filled with encouragement and affirmation from her grandmother, who recently passed away at age 106! She has often pulled the letter out of her wallet when she needed a boost of encouragement. Having seen the impact that her grandmother’s letter made in her own life, she resolved to learn to do the same for her children and grandchildren. 
 
May I ask you…may I beg you…for the sake of those you love the most, would you please put aside the excuses and begin to write letters?  Please? As my dear dad used to say “Life by the inch is a cinch. Life by the yard is hard.” Set a goal for yourself…a letter a week or a letter a month. You CAN get this done if you make it a priority!
 
None of us knows how many days we’ll be on this earth. We’re not promised tomorrow. And neither are our loved ones. 

“Teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 

Hobbs is begging you, too.

(And yes, I used pictures of my dog to pull on your heart strings. I have no shame.I care about you and I care about your relationships!)