I hope you're having a nice day. So far I'm having a wonderful day - that's because I'm writing to you and focusing on the good around me.
I love writing letters. I'm sitting here on my porch writing and watching an array of birds fluttering around a bird feeder. What beauty is nature!
I'm listening to some favorite music, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos No. 1-4. What glory is music!
I'm sipping some delicious dark espresso roast coffee. What a treat is the ability to taste!
The grass is being mowed as I write and the scent is fresh and green. What delight is fragrance!
My feet are up and my sofa is comfy. A gentle breeze wafts past me. What a pleasure is the sense of touch!
I ponder which of my favorite things should be the topic of this letter. What joy it is to not only have favorite things, but also to reflect on them and share those things with others.
I hope you're aware of, and focus on, the simple pleasures in life. So often we're all guilty of taking some, or all, of these things for granted.
All this brings a certain Bible verse to mind. It's from a letter (yes a LETTER) to the Philippians 4:8. The letter reads:
Brothers and Sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about these things.
and I add - WRITE ABOUT THESE THINGS IN YOUR LETTERS.
We should all focus on what's good, not what's bad. The news and television seem to have things backwards. If we're not depressed before we tune in to most tv and news programs we'll soon become depressed. Shows today do not inspire good. They focus on bad behavior.
I say FOCUS ON GOOD THINGS and then SHARE that good.
Letters are a great vehicle for sharing good. You've heard of Paul, Peter, James and John? They were avid letter writers as I am. They wrote an awful lot of letters to all sorts of people - many were strangers to them - the Corinthians, the Romans, the Colossians, just to name a few. And look how long their letters have lasted. The letters you write will last too IF they're good letters - that is, letters that are admirable and praiseworthy.
People are always asking me why I write so very many people, why I belong to The Letter Exchange, the organization of and for letter writers. They ask me why I'm constantly reaching out to people I don't yet know hoping they become pen friends. I'm asked why I write to old friends, why I write to family. I bet Peter, Paul, James and John were asked some of these question too. And what's the answer? The answer is:
WRITING LETTERS IS A VERY GOOD WAY TO SHARE JOY.
Of course, you can't share joy if you don't have joy, So Cultivate Joy! Focus on Beauty! Reflect on the Goodness all around you - then write about it to everyone you know, to everyone you meet.
If you're looking for a purpose in life, spreading good and spreading joy is a very good one. It will make you happier and it will make lots of other people happier as well.
Don't take my word for it. Write some letters and see for yourself.
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