The Letter Writer

Making life personal one word at a time.

There is a beautiful movie called The Letter Writer. The movie is about an older man who writes letters of encouragement to people he randomly picks from the phone book. Maggie Fuller, a rebellious teenager, receives one of his letters and sets out to find the person who sent it. When she locates him in a retirement home, they become friends, and she becomes his apprentice, writing letters herself and leaving them as gifts for people to find.

Beautifully written, the idea of someone randomly sending out letters that uplift others is as remarkable as it is touching. Handwritten letters seem to have fallen by the wayside in favor of texting and computer writing like I’m doing now. What a shame, because our handwriting is a window to our soul and reveals our inner world to the reader. It is a personal gesture, much like a handshake, with its signature flourishes and style, hellos and goodbyes.

I’ve noticed, though, that there are do-gooders everywhere, sometimes in the most surprising of places. They are the ones who are cheery, positive and friendly even on the elevator, the ones who consistently recommend the work of writers on Medium, even if they don’t know them, the ones who let people go in front of them at the checkout line.

I don’t know about you, but when goodness happens, I pay attention. That’s because the good outweighs bad any day of the week. And if I’m going to hook up to an energy flow, I want it to be a fun ride. We all do. I think I will write a letter of appreciation now, starting with you, the reader.

Much gratitude, Tami