The Power of a Handwritten Note

When was the last time you got a handwritten note in the mail? 

It's a lost art, really.  And that's sad.

We sometimes get notes via e-mail.  Or maybe we get texts.  Or tweets.  Or Facebook messages.

But what about a handwritten note.  In an envelope.  With a stamp on it.

We may get a birthday card or a Christmas card, and those occasionally come with a hastily scribbled personal message.  But not often.

I've been blessed and encouraged during this period of recovery from knee surgery by a number of messages from friends and family members.  Texts, messages, e-mails, Facebook posts.  Even a number of get-well cards that came via snail mail!  I have read each one, treasuring each message.  But the ones that have meant the most to me came in an envelope, with a stamp, and were not only signed, but contained a hand-written note.  Sometimes just a sentence.  Sometimes two. Occasionally a paragraph.  Handwritten and intended just for me. 

Handwritten notes are rare these days. The occasionally come for birthdays or Christmas or during times of sickness.  Even then, they are rare.  Even more rare are the handwritten notes that come just because.  And I think that's incredibly sad. 

Perhaps we're in too big a hurry.  Or we're too stressed.  Or perhaps it's because we have managed in our culture to condense all our communications to 140 characters, electronically transmitted.

I have a box in my closet, and a file folder in my desk drawer, of handwritten notes I've received over the years.  Some on fancy stationery.  Some on a cute card.  Some on plain, lined, notebook paper.  Some on the cover of the church bulletin.  I always save handwritten notes.  When I first began this habit, I had no idea that one day they would be nearly as extinct as the dinosaur!

Sometimes, particularly on tough days or dreary days or days when nothing seems to be going right, I reach into the folder and pull out a note.  And reading the note again encourages me.  Lifts my spirits. 

That's the power of a handwritten note.  Its effect goes far beyond its initial reading; it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Could it be time for us to revive the art of note writing?  To slow down a bit and send a word of encouragement, a word that will last. 

Yes, it will take time.  And effort.  And yes, we will have to perhaps buy some note cards and envelopes.  And yes, stamps are expensive.  But what is it worth to encourage someone today?

When was the last time you encouraged someone?  When was the last time you sat down and wrote a note?  On paper.  With a pen.

Why not do it today?  I dare you.

"....encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  (Hebrews 10:25 ESV)