You've Got Mail

Nothing compares to the joy I experience when, after a long day of teaching, I come home and find a sealed envelope on my chair in the living room. My mind is flooded with a million thoughts in the three seconds it takes me to cross the room. Who sent me a letter? What will the letter contain? Pictures? Money (yeah, right)? I know! My crush will finally admit that he likes me too (hey, I said a million thoughts, I didn't say a million practical thoughts)! While a majority of my mail includes billing statements & a ridiculous number of credit card applications, every once in a while I get a letter (none, so far, from that crush, but I'm still waiting). A "how are you doing?" note that tells me that somebody cares about me.

I suppose it's no surprise that one of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks (Joe Fox) & Meg Ryan (Kathleen Kelly). The movie captures my love for written communication (although I prefer handwritten letters to e-mails) & places a modern twist on my favorite novel, Pride & Prejudice.

Kathleen Kelly writes it beautifully in You've Got Mail, "What will he say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer, I wait impatiently as it boots up. I go on line, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing, not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail. From you."


Contrary to popular belief, letter are more than just words on a page. Without even opening the envelope, I know that the sender is saying, "Hey, I care about you" & that has an unique effect on me. "The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings" (Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail).

I love to communicate with my friends with handwritten notes, e-mails, & facebook messages. Our correspondence has no greater goal than staying in touch: we share prayer requests & blessings, discuss what God is teaching, vent a little over our frustrations, & share our deepest secrets. The note could be filled with vital information or nothing at all. All that matters is that we are communicating.

I don't know who is reading this today or if you feel the way I do about writing. I know that I'm a little odd & sometimes a little too romantic. Whether you write your biggest crush, your dearest friend, your mom, or your grandmother, I hope you write letters to someone. Remember, "a man that has friends must prove himself friendly" (Proverbs 18:24, my interpretation). Who are you being a friend to today?