But seriously. I. LOVE. THIS. TIME. OF. YEAR!
The weather, the trees, the football, the friends and family, the parties, the FOOD, the decorations, the music. All of it! I wish the whole year consisted of Halloween to New Years on repeat.
My Facebook timeline is blowing up right now with people posting daily what they are most thankful for. Which is awesome. But, as I was reminded by a friend recently, where is all of this thanks the rest of the year?! Good point. Maybe we could spread more of the gratitude and less of the crazy rants and snarkiness? Just a thought, guys. Just a thought.
Last year, I compiled 30 days of thanks into one blog post. Looking back on it now, I am equally, if not more so, thankful for the things I listed then.
Last month, I attempted (twice) to launch a 21 days of happy. What I ended up with was maybe not what it could have been, but I got some great perspective out of it all. It was reminded of the the importance of being present, enjoying the moment and giving back whenever and wherever you can. I think we sometimes have this idea that we must do big, grand gestures to create happiness for ourselves and others.
But we don't.
Mother Teresa said "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
Jesus said in Mathew 25:33-40 "I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me
something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me
into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to
wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to
visit me..... I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me."
In October 2010, Hannah Brencher began writing & leaving love
letters all over New York City to ward off the loneliness and depression
that ambushed her after graduating from college. Knee-deep in student
loans and desperate to know her “place in this world,” Brencher’s letter
writing efforts grew a platform on her blog
after she made a promise to the internet: If you emailed her a snail
mail address, she would write you a love letter. No questions asked.
What I love the most about More Love Letters is that there are real people, in really tough situations that need encouragement that we can simply give through a simple letter. MLL staff receive and update on their site requests from people all over the country. In a time where most everything is electronic, love letter bundles of actual, REAL letters are created and distributed weekly. I have bookmarked the page and visit frequently to find stories that speak to me. Then I just write what my heart says. Yes, it feels a little awkward at first because you don't know these people and you don't know what to say and you are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Just stop, take a deep breath and ask yourself "if this were me, what would I want someone to say to me to make me feel better?"
In this time of joy and thanksgiving, I hope you will consider joining me in lifting up people who need more of both in their lives.
Happy writing!
*M