GO
Which is Mightier the pen or
...the keyboard?
I sit in my backyard penning
out notes of thankfulness to give something of myself in a way of expressing
gratitude to those who have been blessing me.
My hand is tired, my arm is
weak. Surely, I have made spelling errors and grammatical ones as well. I
cannot help but wonder, in spite of these things, these flaws...will the
readers hear my heart?
I work so hard with my writing
to make sure that I express myself and share my heart with transparency; will
they see that in my blue medium point ink? Will they be distracted by that which
I cannot alter before sending?
Or, will the time I took, the
stamp I used speak louder than the bold and big font I can control online? Will the letter
they can touch truly express to them the depth of my gratitude for all they
have been doing in my life?
STOP
Continuing on with my own thoughts after the timer has buzzed, I recognize that whether or not the depth of my gratitude can be heard through the ink on the paper...it needs to be done.
It needs to be done for the person who will receive the card at just the right time.
There have been countless times, when I was on the brink of jumping out of my own mind, when suddenly, I have received a card from someone, who had sat days before to share their heart. The timing belongs to the Lord (and to the Postal Service) and it never fails to amaze me that I try to control that schedule--which has been proven to me time and again as being flawless.
In this world of facebook, twitter and email, we have forgotten some of the pleasantries of the past ~ such as picking out stamps and stationary. Our "thank you notes" are saved for big things, such as weddings, baby showers, graduations and fundraisers. But, what of the thank yous for things like a warm word and prayer at just the right time? What of thank you notes for things such as an invitation to lunch, or an introduction to a new friend?
It needs to be done for the person who sits with the aching arm.
I used to have a habit of sending a card or two at least once a week. I would frequent stores like Hallmark with a pounding in my heart for the stationary I would discover. Mostly it was because, there was a time when I lived far away from people I loved. And after a couple years of building relationships with the in the Midwest farmland, we moved to the desert and once again...I lived far away from people I loved. And then it happened again. And then again. So, writing to them in an effort to not be forgotten and to let them know that I had not forgotten them was a necessity.
And, then over time, I learned to email. Then, I was introduced to myspace. Soon, Facebook followed. Reunions were great, but along the way, I lost interest in sitting down and struggling with pen and paper. Errors in language and spelling on the computer are easily corrected, and this is GREAT. But, honestly, the other is important and I miss it.
Because of the wedding we just hosted for our daughter, and because the fundraising I have been doing for my upcoming trip to India, I sat down this morning to write out some letters. Moments before I began I was a bit of a bear--not because of the letters, for it had not occurred to me that I would be doing them. I was mean to my husband because he wanted to sit and talk with me (yes, I have issues.) I was unable to see God in spite of the time I had just spent pursuing Him (YES, I have issues).
Then, I decided to work on the letters I had been meaning to write. I had bought special cards for several of the people, but I had not written them yet. As I began to poor out my heart of gratitude...the bear living inside me became a gentle cub once more. By expressing to someone else how meaningful their actions were to me, my heart was softened. I need this in my life.
So, while I (obviously) have no intention of giving up the keyboard, I will be working with the pen once again. One day, I want to be remembered not only for the things I did publicly, but also for the things I said privately.
STOP
 |
| photo credit to http://claudiaowen.wordpress.com |
It needs to be done for the person who will receive the card at just the right time.
There have been countless times, when I was on the brink of jumping out of my own mind, when suddenly, I have received a card from someone, who had sat days before to share their heart. The timing belongs to the Lord (and to the Postal Service) and it never fails to amaze me that I try to control that schedule--which has been proven to me time and again as being flawless.
In this world of facebook, twitter and email, we have forgotten some of the pleasantries of the past ~ such as picking out stamps and stationary. Our "thank you notes" are saved for big things, such as weddings, baby showers, graduations and fundraisers. But, what of the thank yous for things like a warm word and prayer at just the right time? What of thank you notes for things such as an invitation to lunch, or an introduction to a new friend?
It needs to be done for the person who sits with the aching arm.
I used to have a habit of sending a card or two at least once a week. I would frequent stores like Hallmark with a pounding in my heart for the stationary I would discover. Mostly it was because, there was a time when I lived far away from people I loved. And after a couple years of building relationships with the in the Midwest farmland, we moved to the desert and once again...I lived far away from people I loved. And then it happened again. And then again. So, writing to them in an effort to not be forgotten and to let them know that I had not forgotten them was a necessity.
And, then over time, I learned to email. Then, I was introduced to myspace. Soon, Facebook followed. Reunions were great, but along the way, I lost interest in sitting down and struggling with pen and paper. Errors in language and spelling on the computer are easily corrected, and this is GREAT. But, honestly, the other is important and I miss it.
Because of the wedding we just hosted for our daughter, and because the fundraising I have been doing for my upcoming trip to India, I sat down this morning to write out some letters. Moments before I began I was a bit of a bear--not because of the letters, for it had not occurred to me that I would be doing them. I was mean to my husband because he wanted to sit and talk with me (yes, I have issues.) I was unable to see God in spite of the time I had just spent pursuing Him (YES, I have issues).
Then, I decided to work on the letters I had been meaning to write. I had bought special cards for several of the people, but I had not written them yet. As I began to poor out my heart of gratitude...the bear living inside me became a gentle cub once more. By expressing to someone else how meaningful their actions were to me, my heart was softened. I need this in my life.
So, while I (obviously) have no intention of giving up the keyboard, I will be working with the pen once again. One day, I want to be remembered not only for the things I did publicly, but also for the things I said privately.
