I see love.

Even with the most unreadable handwriting in the world, there is something so valuable in a handwritten letter.

That's probably why I have boxes of letters, cards, and scribbled post its that seem nearly impossible to relegate to trash.

I still have scripted paper from camp counselors in junior high, pages upon pages of words written but never sent, and dozens of creased and folded notebook paper gold mines passed from friend to friend in class. Why on earth would I save those?

I can still close my eyes and see their writing on the page, and it's familiar as their faces- Maeghan's handwriting was always my favorite, and it suited her; full and cheerful, each letter a stroke of happy on the page. Matthew's had a sophisticated, artistic flair. Kelsey's slanted backwards, a leftie for sure. Andrew's- delicate, smart, clean.

Pretty positive that at some point, I tried to copy each of them, but my handwriting always looks disappointingly like... well, mine. I've decided that the way we glide the pencil across the page must be an expansion of the thumbprint, as special and unique as the person to whom it belongs.

Brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, moms, dads, cousins, children... their letters and cards swirl briefly through my thoughts and I feel the encouragement and the love all over again. Not just in the words themselves, but in the intention. The purpose.

They lift my spirit, fill my heart, touch my soul.

Probably my favorite notes and letters are the ones attached to such vivid memories. attached to people who I have loved deeply and will never forget. I cherish them. In each letter, someone speaks. I can see the face, hear the voice. Then, somehow, mysteriously, I'm able to hear their hearts better NOW than before.

I write to my future children. and to my husband, too. So they will know my heart. So they will know that I loved them, even now. So my husband and daughters or sons will never have to crave my voice in the written word. They will have traces and signatures and scrawls. They will have pen and paper that will long outlast my earthly whispers of affection and ability to hug them close.

In an ever-growing age of technology and instant communication, I feel like we've lost something so lovely amidst convenience. I'm so thankful for emails and texts, blogging and even facebook.

But I can't feel an email between my finger tips or smile at the way he dots his i's and crosses his t's in a text message. Sure, I can pick a font that I think fits my mood for an online conversation or message... but it's not the same. There's so much personality in handwriting.

I see love through words. I think this love is rooted in the very nature of who my Creator is. Certainly His fingerprints are painted beautifully all over the flowers and the sunsets... but He also chose to lavish us with his holy, perfect, God-breathed words through Scripture. He affirms in my heart the significance and value of written word. He preserved His own words, for us.

Today, I am setting aside twenty minutes or so to write a letter. Then I'm going to address it, place a stamp in the top right corner, and send it off in the mail.

I encourage you to do the same. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe this weekend. Write someone you love a few words of encouragement... the "old-fashioned way". Pen and ink, envelopes, a signature in your beautifully crafted handwriting that's like no one else's. Maybe it will be an overdue thank you note, words to honor your husband, a peace offering for a broken relationship, words of affirmation for your children, hope for your compassion child, kindness to your best friend, thankfulness to your employer.

Words leave a mark. I still pull out those old letters and read them. I remember. I find encouragement and love in their pages.

So go ahead... write.

Twenty, thirty, or fifty years from now, someone just might need to hear them again :)

Love to you,
Alyssa