It is delightful to get a nice, juicy love letter from a sweetheart. Love letters get tucked away in special boxes, tied up in pretty ribbons, and saved in dresser drawers for decades, and even for lifetimes. It is not uncommon to come across a packet of love letters while cleaning out the home of a loved one who has passed away. Love letters are something that are really cherished by recipients. That said, love letters need not only come from lovers. It is possible for any person to write any other person a letter that could be considered a “love letter.” If you wrote your boss a love letter, you would not want to use steamy, romantic language. If you wrote your sister a love letter, you might not speak of endless embraces, and if you wrote a love letter to your son, there might not be much in the way of flowery language included at all. The important thing is that you write them because a true love letter can be medicine for the soul.
Consider writing a “love letter” to an old high school friend. You might begin by just letting the person know you are thinking about them. It might be sweet to list 10 things you really admired about them when you were young together. Perhaps you will wish them a variety of blessings like peace, health, serenity, or grace. You might re-tell a funny story from old times and remind them of something joyful from the past. It’s possible the letter will be delivered on the same day they get some bad news about their job or find out that their car needs a new transmission. Your letter will help inoculate them against the bad things that come at them from the world.
It can be an excellent idea to write a child a love letter at any age. Tell them all the things you really love about them. Praise their accomplishments. Gush with pride. Declare your loyalty and your commitment to be a part of their life. Express gratitude to them for all the ways in which they allow you to share in their experiences. Send them lots of happy wishes for the future. Write the letter in words and sentences they’ll understand. It need not be fancy, it only need be true and loving.
If you’re up for a challenge, task yourself with writing a love letter to someone with whom you really struggle. Perhaps a co-worker or a family member that gets on your nerves. Be sincere in wishing them good things. Be specific. Act as if you had all the money and power in the world and tell them what you’d give to them if you had endless resources. Describe the things about them that are truly wonderful, the things that make them unique and valuable. Remind them of things they’ve done that have really benefitted you or others. Let them know how your life has been enhanced because of your involvement with them.
Finally, it would be a sweet treat if you’d write yourself a love letter. It may sound crazy, but it really doesn’t matter who sends you a love letter, it still feels good. Be kind and remind yourself of the many good things you do to take care of yourself. Let yourself know how much you appreciate your attention to your needs. List the things you love about yourself. Don’t be stingy with your praise and admiration, you deserve to hear how great you are.
When the letters are written, be sure to deliver them. Although it will do you great good to write them, it will spread the good will around if you actually take the time to send the letters to the recipients, even to yourself. I know it may sound silly, but you might be surprised how healing it can be to get a loving letter in the mail, even if you wrote it yourself.
