It should come as no surprise that I believe in the power of a word fitly written. Especially when it’s handwritten in a card that has been delivered the old-fashioned way. We live in a world that’s constantly connected and plugged in. We leave comments on facebook walls, carry on conversations in text messages and send tweets to one another all day long, which is all nice and convenient, but I really miss the days of handwritten letters and cards.
The best relationships of my life have been maintained by handwritten cards and letters, posted with a stamp and delivered to my mailbox. I have stacks of personal notes stashed in a box in my desk drawer, and I pull them out from time to time to relive a memory or receive some encouragement. Those cards and letters mean the world to me.
One of the greatest women I’ve ever known is a master of written correspondence. I don’t know how many cards, letters, and thank you notes she writes in the course of a week, but it has to be in the double digits. I have a stack of postcards in her signature script, all delivered to my campus post office box when I was a student at Mississippi State. Any college student knows the value of a real piece of mail. There’s nothing more depressing than trudging all the way across campus to peer in the window of your post office box, only to find nothing but a CD from AOL. Mrs. June taught me that a handwritten card can change a person. The fact that she noticed when I was struggling and took the time to sit down and write me to let me know that she was praying for me changed my life.
I’ve tried to emulate her, but I really don’t sit down to write a note as often as I should. I’ve been working to change that lately. I do, after all, own a custom stationery business. Recently, a college friend posted a snapshot of a card I had written her on facebook. The card was several years old, but she said she kept it because it still cheers her up when she’s down. My jaw dropped when I saw the photo. I couldn’t believe that a simple note that I had completely forgotten about had made such an impact, and it inspired me to pick up my pen and start using some of the stationery that I make. Over the past week, I’ve dropped two cards in the mail, and I’m planning on writing more over the course of the next few days. I hope to make it a lifelong habit.
So, keep your eyes open and don’t forget to check your mail. You may just find a note from me in that rusty old box!
What about you? When was the last time you got a handwritten note in the mail? How did it make you feel? Who are you writing to this week?
Until next time, grace and peace.
Well, it’s been a few days, which means that I’ve had a few opportunities to wake up with the sun, and let me just say that my body has not appreciated the challenge. Making the adjustment has been difficult, and I haven’t yet made it up at 6 a.m. {yes, I know, I’ve broken my promise}, but I have gotten up around 7 for a few days, which is a step in the right direction. This morning, since it’s a holiday and all, both Dennis and I {and Micah too} slept in until 7:45, which is still earlier than I would have gotten up before this challenge began.
See? I’m doing better.
Honestly, as difficult as it has been for my body to adjust, I have really enjoyed the quiet time I have had to myself in the mornings. It has energized and refreshed me, and I’ve found myself to be much more patient with Micah and a lot less frazzled by the end of the day. It’s been nice.
But it’s still a work in progress. After a few days of setting the alarm for 6 a.m. and hitting the snooze until 7 a.m., I know that I probably won’t get up at 6 in the morning tomorrow, but I’m shooting for 6:45. I’ll do that for a couple of days and then move on to 6:30. Maybe by the end of the month, I’ll be getting up consistently at 6, but for now, when I’m trying not to throw my body into shock, I think that slow and steady is the way to go.
Thanks for all of your support! Many of you have asked me about my progress, and it’s nice to know that you care enough to hold me accountable. We’ll see how things go this week, and I’ll update you again next Monday!
Until next time, grace and peace.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a morning person. Never have been. Never planned to become one. I’m a night owl. Always have been. Thought I always would be.
Then I had a baby, and life changed drastically. I’ve discovered that I just don’t have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on my to do list. For the past several months, I’ve been staying up for four or five hours after Micah and Dennis go to bed, working, catching up on facebook, reading blogs, and trying to write. When I lay Micah down in the crib, I head straight to the office and get to work.
But I’m finding that arranging my days this way is draining me of life and energy.
I spend all day every day waiting for Micah to take a nap or go to sleep so I can get something done. Instead of spending some much-needed quality time with my husband after Micah goes to bed, I hole up in the office and work feverishly on stationery orders. After a months-long writing hiatus, I’ve lined up several new writing contracts and projects, but I haven’t had time to really work on any of them. I keep thinking that I’ll write after everyone else goes to bed, but that never really happens, because when I open up Word and try to write, I find that I’m too exhausted to actually pen a single word.
In summary, I don’t get to enjoy time with my family, I don’t write, and I’m too tired at the end of the day to really be productive.
Last week, I wrote an article about making the most important relationships in your life a priority for myMISSIONfulfilled. As I wrote, I couldn’t help but feel a bit hypocritical. Here I was writing about making time with God and family a priority, and I’m not entirely successful about doing it in my own life. Sure, I sit down with my journal and Bible most days, but I don’t do it until I’ve put Micah down for her morning nap, which means that I’m awake for nearly three hours before I even think about speaking with God. I sometimes push work responsibilities aside and spend evenings with my family on the front porch, but that happens far less often than it should.
Something has to give.
Which is why I’ve decided to start going to bed earlier and getting up before Micah. My custom has been to fall into bed around 1 a.m. and get up with Micah between 8 and 9 in the morning. I want to shift the schedule, going to bed with Dennis between 9 and 10 at night and waking up at 6 every morning. That gives me at least two hours to spend some quiet time alone with God and write without fear of interruption. I’ll be able to claim Micah’s nap times as work time, since I’ve already read my Bible and maybe even {wonder of wonders} taken a shower. Since I will be working while Micah is napping, I’ll be able to actually focus on making memories with her when she’s awake instead of letting her play alone at my feet while I scramble to get things accomplished. I’m pretty sure that life will improve drastically if I just get up and get going in the mornings.
Novel idea, I know.
It’s one thing to say that I should get up earlier, but it’s another thing to actually do it. That’s why I’m writing about it. It’s your job to hold me to my word. Today marks the beginning of a new month, so it seemed to be an appropriate time to begin the challenge. This morning, I woke up at 9, but tomorrow I will rise at 6 a.m. Promise. You have my word.
I once heard that it takes 21 days to establish a habit. I’m giving myself 30 days to make this life change. I will rise at 6 a.m. for six days a week. On Saturdays, as a treat for getting up early throughout the week, I’ll sleep in with my family. And I’ll write about my progress once a week.
How does that sound? Seems like a good idea to me. Anyone want to take the challenge with me? Maybe it will be easier if we do it together.
One can hope, right?
Until next time, grace and peace.
{image credit here}
