I was reintroduced to hand letter writing the day my wife died. A friend lost her grandmother and decades-long pen pal on the same day. I saw an opportunity to create and strengthen connections on a day when I had lost my greatest earthly bond.
I’ve written to dozens of people in the last year and noticed a strange pattern. I often forget what I’ve written. Strange because I take time with my writing and usually reread before sending. Natural in that I don’t make copies and rarely get responses to remind me of what I’ve sent into the world.
I know I release pain in the writing process, breaks for tears are common, but I didn’t know the power of addressing, stamping, and mailing the correspondence. It’s a ritual of sacrifice, honoring the source of hurt and dismissing it as no longer useful.
As a photographer, Alessandra Nicole documented our family at local events and museums. As a friend and TEDx speaker, she’s provided me with a way tools to connect with a world that can be resistant to a widower in its midst.
Please take a moment to watch her talk on paper letter exchange.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason