This weekend I attended the Put it on Paper workshop lead by the fabulous Mary Hickey (from Mary Hickey Interiors) and sponsored by LAB MPLS and Ampersand Shops at the Galleria. This workshop couldn't have been during a better month, as April is National Letterwriting Month! After the class I met Shawn down the mall a bit and he asked me how it was - my response says it all "It was amazing, I almost could have cried because those gals just got me, they understood why it's important to write letters, send cards and make envelopes special."
As a child I was ALWAYS the one who got to check the mail. I vividly remember running to the mailbox after being away on week long vacations with my parents, crossing my fingers that there would be some piece of mail for me. At that age it didn't matter whether it was a postcard from a friend who was also on vacation, or a magazine, or even some catalog (American Girl was a HUGE deal when it came). Mail has always been important to me, but most importantly I've always valued a handwritten note, a handwritten postcard or a sweet card. Still to this day I'd rather receive one written note a week than hundreds of emails a day. It's this feeling you get holding onto a piece of paper that someone else, someone near and dear to you, has touched and penned their thoughts and emotions to you on. Well and to be plain and simple, it's pure fun to receive something in the mail! (Don't you get a little more excited when you see a handwritten envelope instead of a typed piece of mail….. usually indicating some sort of bill or other non-exciting piece of mail?)
So today I truly encourage you to take some time this week and send a handwritten note to someone important in your life. Maybe it's someone you see everyday. Maybe it's someone you haven't talked to in years. Perhaps it's a note of thanks, or a note to say you're thinking of them. Perhaps your note is filled with birthday wishes, congratulations on your new little one, or an apology. Maybe you pick out a super fancy card to send, maybe you find a card in your desk drawer. It doesn't necessarily matter what the card looks like all the time, but more importantly it is the words that you put inside, the words that scrawl across the paper that matter. Don't be afraid if your handwriting isn't perfect, don't be afraid of putting your thoughts in words. Just send that mail! :)