Dear Reader,
Louise, my wife, is sitting on the sofa next to me, writing a poem about the difference between love and affection. Last night, my step-daughter Isla wrote a story for her English class, one that had been in her head for days, about prophetic dreams.
Now, I am writing to you.
Isn’t it wonderful that we still write? It may be true that few people write personal letters anymore – perhaps influenced by the creation of email. It may even be true that, as some people say, email will soon be replaced by social media connections. But we still love to read, and we still love to write.
Writing provides a way of going within and shining a light on the stuff that won’t go away – fleeting images, lingering emotions, vague memories or burning questions that we can’t escape. Beyond just shining a light, writing helps us make and express meaning.
In one of my early journals, I remember writing a greeting, on a whim, to my future self. Years later, I found that greeting and cried; I felt a deep sense of connection to my own being, and a gift of timelessness from my own past self that was indescribable.
More recently, on my first trip back to The States since moving to the UK last Fall, I re-read Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” A play seemingly about small events in a small town, the writing was so simple, yet so truthful, that it shook my sense of family and home to the core.
That’s what writing can do.
Whether you are writing for yourself, writing to share with others, or reading what someone else has written, writing has the potential to help you discover, or remember, who you really are.
What have you written lately? A journal entry? An email? A Facebook update? Or perhaps a poem or story that has followed you for days, or weeks, or years? Whether you like to write or not, a powerful way to start is with the phrase “I Love” – and then fill in the blank. Repeat the process as many times as you want. Go fast, go slow, but allow yourself to feel – go ahead and shine the light.
I honor your loving heart,
John
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