...the lost art of letter writing...

The light of day has eluded me for 48 hours now, and though I'm on the upswing, I still wasn't ready to venture back into the world. So, in between sleeping, doing laundry, and scouring every hard surface in our home with disinfectant, I took time to write a few letters.

My letter writing days began when I was fresh out of college and had formed a new pen pal – my grandpa! He was a faithful writer, honed throughout four long years away from his high school sweetheart during WWII. At the close of the war, he returned home and married said sweetheart, my grandma. This year will mark their 69^th wedding anniversary. So my first letter was to my grandparents.

My second letter was to a girl that we sponsor through an international organization. She is a beautiful young woman, who, at 16, takes care of her family and works hard to succeed in the 8^th grade. One of her recent accomplishments: learning to bake a cake! I hope my letters can inspire and encourage her as much as her life inspires and encourages me.

My third letter was to someone I will never know.

It has been estimated that there are between 20 – 30 million slaves worldwide. Yes, slaves. Some are forced into servitude, others into prostitution. It is both heart wrenching and horrifying that slavery persists in our modern day. Thankfully, there are organizations like the A21 Campaign, a movement that seeks to abolish slavery in the 21^st century. You can read more about them here. They offer many ways for someone like me to get involved, and today I chose to write a letter to a survivor.

In our digital age, we can lose the significance of a hand written word. There is a bond that happens when we touch the same page that our loved ones hands have grazed. Each word is carefully chosen and each phrase painstakingly composed for the reader's eyes only. Hand written notes take time, and this makes them all the more precious. They are something that we can touch and treasure for years to come.

I've saved the letters my grandfather and I exchanged, and I still read them from time to time. Even now, they are desperately dear to me, because they are tangible reminders of his great love for me.

Perhaps you have someone for whom you can compose a handwritten note. Don't wait. Do it today.

Would you like to see slavery abolished in this century? Here are 21 ways that you can get involved.