So far, in the Nailing It series, we’ve talked about writing school compositions and essays for tests. This evening let’s take a break from school, kick back, and talk about some writing that might well touch the heart and soul of someone you love.
Let’s pretend it’s Christmas. You’re a freshman in college or a junior in high school, or a graduate working your first job. You’d love to give your grandmother a special gift for the occasion, an evening out at a fancy restaurant. Unfortunately, on your budget you’d be pushed springing for a Big Mac and fries.
Let’s pretend it’s Christmas. You’re a freshman in college or a junior in high school, or a graduate working your first job. You’d love to give your grandmother a special gift for the occasion, an evening out at a fancy restaurant. Unfortunately, on your budget you’d be pushed springing for a Big Mac and fries.
Or let’s say your best friend is celebrating her birthday. You want so much to give her a pair of expensive earrings—she loves jewelry—but you ponder your thin wallet and fall into despair.
Buck up. A solution is at hand. And it’s simple and costs less than fifty cents.
All you have to do is write a letter.
Write the person you love or admire a letter. Whether it’s your parents or grandparents, your brother or sister, your soccer coach or dance instructor, sit down at a table with pen and paper, and tell that person what they mean to you.
Most children receive acclamation and love by the truckload, as may be seen at any soccer field on a Saturday afternoon. For many adults, however, that sort of acknowledgment is as rare as water in a desert. No one in the office applauds them hourly for the paperwork they are shuffling, and all too often they leave work and return home to a life of solitude and loneliness.
Here’s your chance to touch someone’s life. Grandma might eventually forget that dinner. Those earrings given to your friend might soon land in the bottom of the jewelry box. But words written from the heart will remain in the heart.
Below you will find a few tips on how to give someone you love the gift of your words, that gift so sorely lacking at times, a gift unavailable for purchase at your local mall, a gift only you can give.
After you have put down your thoughts, fold the letter into thirds, slip it into an envelope, affix the stamp, and deposit it in the mailbox. By mailing that envelope and letter, you are making a gift of your words.
You will change someone’s day.
And who knows? You may even change someone’s life.
Buck up. A solution is at hand. And it’s simple and costs less than fifty cents.
All you have to do is write a letter.
Write the person you love or admire a letter. Whether it’s your parents or grandparents, your brother or sister, your soccer coach or dance instructor, sit down at a table with pen and paper, and tell that person what they mean to you.
Most children receive acclamation and love by the truckload, as may be seen at any soccer field on a Saturday afternoon. For many adults, however, that sort of acknowledgment is as rare as water in a desert. No one in the office applauds them hourly for the paperwork they are shuffling, and all too often they leave work and return home to a life of solitude and loneliness.
Here’s your chance to touch someone’s life. Grandma might eventually forget that dinner. Those earrings given to your friend might soon land in the bottom of the jewelry box. But words written from the heart will remain in the heart.
Below you will find a few tips on how to give someone you love the gift of your words, that gift so sorely lacking at times, a gift unavailable for purchase at your local mall, a gift only you can give.
- Write your letter by hand if your script is legible. We live in a world of texts, tweets, and emails. A letter written by hand is already such a rarity that the person receiving your words will value them even before opening the envelope.
- Send your letter through the US Mail, even if you are writing someone living under the same roof. Few of us receive letters nowadays, envelopes we can open with a sense of excitement and anticipation. Spend the money to send the letter and add this excitement to your gift.
- Be specific. If you remember an afternoon when Grandpa took you fishing and bought you ice cream afterwards, tell him what those memories mean to you. Tell your parents in print exactly why you love them. Tell them how much you appreciate the sacrifices they made for you. Point out some of those sacrifices and how you benefited from them. Thank that friend you are writing for playing so large a part in your life.
- Don’t be snarky, even unintentionally. You’re writing to your best friend and remind her of the time she was seven and stuck a bean up her nose. You may find that incident funny, even endearing, but will she? Stick to the positive. Stick to the reasons you love her.
- Write at length. You are giving a gift. Take half an hour or forty-five minutes and treat your recipient to three or four pages of your thoughts. Share with them those moments they shared with you, those times when you felt bound to them by their caring and affection.
- You should pay attention to grammar and spelling—you don’t want to appear illiterate—but don’t worry about writing some sort of masterpiece. Speak from your heart, and the person receiving your letter will feel your love.
After you have put down your thoughts, fold the letter into thirds, slip it into an envelope, affix the stamp, and deposit it in the mailbox. By mailing that envelope and letter, you are making a gift of your words.
You will change someone’s day.
And who knows? You may even change someone’s life.
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