Matters Of The Heart

We celebrated Valentines Day with enough commercial enthusiasm to make
any greeting card company proud. But how many people actually send
physical cards through the postal service or hand deliver them these
days? There remain many individuals who still enjoy walking to the
mailbox and discovering personal mail awaiting them. The mail
represents an acknowledgement. They were remembered. Phone calls and
personal visits are obviously great. In their absence,consider sending
a note or card. Letter-writing has provided comfort and reassurance to
many a recipient in war-time, college-time, travel-time and any time
when distance has separated us from loved ones. Opening an envelope
provides us with anticipation and excitement. What will the message
reveal? Is there money inside? Did they send photographs of the new
baby or graduate or pet or home? There is a dual message here.
Hand-written letters,notes and cards continue to have a significant
role in many lives. Folks need to be remembered. Age doesn't matter if
it is Valentines Day or Easter or Mother's Day or their birthday or
just a day. As I entered and exited the post office on Valentines Day,
no less than seven people said Happy Valentines Day to me. The message
is acknowledgement. I responded in kind to them and each of us
exchanged smiles. Acknowledgement between strangers. Surely there are
people you know and there is something you would like to say to them
whether encouragement, sharing a memory or laugh or a thank you.
Perhaps you want to remember them on a special day which will be made
increasingly special by your acknowledgement. You are recognizing
their importance. And that recognition says as much about the sender
as it does the recipient. How much time you are willing to take to
partake in this endeavor is up to you. Realizing for example that many
elderly people do not tweet or facebook or my space or text or email,
means that you have to take a few minutes to express yourself on paper
for their sake. We are not just talking about a certain age group
though. Everyone needs and wants acknowledgement and loving attention.
It matters to them and they matter to us.