Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Garden of Friendship

Girl Reading a Letter at
an Open Window

Johannes Vermeer
c.1654-7
Time to water our gardens again!
One fine day, when we still lived in our second floor apartment, I waddled downstairs (I was pregnant at the time) to get the mail.
I was delighted when, amidst the bills and circulars, I found a card addressed to me! It was from a very dear friend that I do not see often. The card was beautifully handmade, and inside was a handwritten note of friendship.
The fact that my friend took the time to make me a card, and write me a letter made me feel loved. This is a wonderful way to water our friendship gardens!
Here are some letter writing hints:
1. Use nice stationary, or even make your own!
3. Think about your friend while you write, reflect on how much you care for them and why.
4. Make sure you don't go on and on about yourself! Ask questions about your friend, or perhaps recall some fun experiences that you had with your friend.
5. Write with a special pen. I love the excitement of filling a crisp, blank piece of paper with bold script!
6. Hint to your friend that you would love to receive a "real" letter in return!
I close with the words of Paul to Timothy in his loving letter:
"To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing, I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you ... " 2Timothy 1:2-5a
Two reminders!
Next week -- the website will be updated ... take a look if you remember.
In two weeks -- we will be featuring an article from a guest blogger -- this article was a blessing to me when I read it, and pray that God will use it for all of you.

6 comments:

Anna Naomi said...

I agree - letters are such special things! Their such an encouragement to receive, so I try to write long letters to my friends and penpals on a regular basis.

Anonymous said...

Yes! I too enjoy getting letters in the mail. Unfortunately in this age of technology I don't get as many as I used too. :-( Then again, I don't send many out either. Maybe this week...if I can....I will try to send a note out to some long-lost friends. Thanks for the suggestion!

Beverly said...

Anna,
I'm so glad that you are already doing this ... it definitely shouldn't become a lost art!

Neesie,
I agree ... getting letters is so much fun. Why don't we both pick a person to write to this week?

Ella said...

I love to recieve letters in the mail. They are certainly more personal than e-mail. However, e-mail is much faster for me than an actual letter. That is probably a bad thing! I do try to remember birthdays with cards, or when the Lord leads me to write to a specific person.

I ought to write snail mail more often!

Sara said...

I also love to receive letters in the mail. In fact, I received a letter from one of my dear friends today! I used to write a lot more letters than I do now, as email is my primary form of communication, but I really do enjoy writing and receiving letters better. Very nice post Bev!

~Sara

Beverly said...

Ella,
I am the same way! I love receiving letters, and I do actually love writing them -- but I usually email because it is soooo easy :-)

Sara,
I'm glad you got a letter yesterday -- all I got were catalogs and bills! See you Sunday :-)