Friday, November 7, 2014

"Mr. Postman, Look and See. Is There a Letter in Your Bag for me?"



Thessalonians 5:27
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

My daughter, Sarah, has been teaching our granddaughter, Virginia Rose, her letters and numbers for a few months now.  Although Virginia isn't technically reading yet, this practice of spelling out words under her mother's guidance will certainly accelerate the process.

To make these exercises more fun and personal, Sarah has Virginia pen two letters:  one to my mother, Nana, and the other to my husband, Danny's, mother, Nonna.  (Yes, Virginia gets confused at times since the grandmothers' monikers sound so much alike.)  This is the result of the letter to my mother.




I have to tell you, I am truly impressed by Virginia's penmanship at age four, and that she knows her lower case as well as upper!  And, of course, you can imagine how thrilled Nana and Nonna are to receive such a special written note from their great-granddaughter.  It is refrigerator magnet display in both their houses!


~

At her marvelous blog, In Search of Tree Stars, my friend since high school, Pam Stevens, recently posts about the dying art of letter writing.  You can read her reflection in its entirety here, and I highly recommend that you do!  What Pam shares about the treasure trove of letters she rediscovers, notes and reflections from dear loved ones who have since passed, touches me deeply.  Makes me want to dig through the countless folders of correspondence my mother has collected over the years.  To reconnect with a past long gone, but one I still carry in my heart.

And, I have these thoughts:  What would the early church have looked like without Paul's letters?  For that matter, what would our lives as Christians in the 21st century be like if our New Testament failed to contain them?  And, imagine this:  Had there been today's technology available to 1st century Christians, would Paul have used e-mail to send his missives?
Would the early followers of The Way dutifully printed them out to share with their community?  Or, God forbid, would a disgruntled member whom Paul chastised simply hit the delete button? >shudder<!  Would Paul have a blog where he posted his letters?  What if he just tweeted them?  Or, took a selfie of his poor soul in prison?



Where would we be???

Sadly, as Pam notes, the hand-written letter seems to be going the way of the Dodo bird.  Unless we consciously and conscientiously write a memoir of our lives for our children and grandchildren, it is unlikely our voice will be heard in their lives after we're gone.

While tweets and Facebook blurbs, texting and e-mail drops are quick and efficient in the moment, they, unlike the old-fashioned letter, will not endure.

A bloom in the moment.  Chaff in the wind.

Is that where our legacy lies?

~

When was the last time you sent a hand-written letter to a friend or loved one?  When was the last time Mr. Postman delivered one to you?

Prayer:  Father, we thank You for the letters of Paul to the early church which continue, generations later, to convey Christ's teaching and encourage us to pursue Your righteousness in our thoughts, words and deeds.  May our own lives, lived in Your name, leave a legacy of faith, hope and love to the generations which follow us.  It is in Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.


Here is the link to the Mr. Postman song.  Hope you will listen and enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE:  Meditations of My Heart will be on hiatus next week.  Please come back to visit on Tuesday, November 18th for a brand new post.  Blessings, everyone!

16 comments:

  1. ' While tweets and
    Facebook
    blurbs, texting and e-mail drops are quick and efficient in the moment, they, unlike the old-fashioned letter, will not endure.

    A bloom in the moment. Chaff in the wind.

    Is that where our legacy lies?'-
    Hm, very thought-provoking post. BTW, little Virginia is sure to walk in your footsteps.
    -Portia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post, Portia! And, I must admit, I do hope my granddaughter will love reading and writing as much as her Gammie does. :)
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  2. WOW she really is writing amazingly well! I haven't received a handwritten letter in forever. ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't received one in forever either, Kathy, nor have I written one. :( Just the occasional thank you note here and there. And, yes, I think Virginia writes remarkably well for her age.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  3. Martha, another great post! Virginia's penmanship for her age is AMAZING. Just this week, I sent out two very short (and long overdue) handwritten notes--one was a thank you.

    Something special has been lost with the increase in technology. Communication through the mail had a certain charm about it--a charm that is lost in the day of instant communication.

    With Christmas coming, I'll likely be writing a few short notes, at least.

    Love and blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, Kim, we haven't sent Christmas cards in forever. In light of this post and your comment, I'm going to have Danny rethink this for the upcoming season.
      Yes, there is, indeed, a nostalgic charm to the handwritten note. Maybe, we all need to take the time to reenter this world of the personal, not the transitory.
      Thanks for your compliment on Virginia's penmanship. It astounds me, too, and I'm so blessed to have her as my granddaughter.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  4. Lively, Martha! I am inspired to dust off some stationary!
    Lori

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked it, Lori! Yes, time to dust off the writing paper. :)
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  5. HI Martha, Today, she's writing to Nana. Tomorrow, book proposals to the publisher :) glad to hear mail and the post office is still alive! a friend told me he had to explain to his child how the post office worked and that people used to use it in the old days to communicate!!

    I wish I received Paul's missives via blog posts :) That Red Sea selfie made me smile:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol, Vishnu, one can only hope she will take after her Gammie! It's amazing to think that the way we grew up communicating has changed so tremendously in the last two decades. Makes me wonder what could possibly be next?
      Glad the selfie made you smile, too. I loved it!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  6. Her handwriting is wonderful and her letter impressive.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Joyce! I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed, too, as Virginia is only four.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  7. Aww that was soo sweet <3

    I just wrote one last night to a lovely blogger friend. A 2 paged letter :)

    I love love love handwritten letters and I also have them that I treasure them in a special see through folder. I cherish every word written for they remind me that " I am special."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How wonderful that you recently wrote a letter to a friend and that you save all the ones you receive, Privy! Yes, letters and thoughtful notes go a long way in reminding us we are special to and treasured by someone else.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  8. How precious to read that letter. I really believe in the power of a handwritten note and letter. Learned recently a friend will send in honor of All Saints Sunday handwritten notes to those who lost a loved one that past year. I am going to do that - a little late due to our traveling but think the thought will be the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, what a beautiful gesture for those who have lost loved ones, Jean! I know it would have meant the world to me to have received one as my father passed away in March. There is, indeed, power in the handwritten word!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete

. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...