4,000 Love Letters

 I found the one whom my soul loves ~ Song of Solomon 3:4

This month represents the six year anniversary of love letter writing for my wife and me.  I first learned about writing love letters when we attended a weekend marriage encounter.  On the third day, I got really sick and thought about dropping out.  I'm not sure if it was a flu bug or if all that emotional stuff made me ill.  Either way, I was so sick I was vomiting.  My wife stood by me and helped me overcome my sickness in order to complete the retreat.

The deepest topic we confronted during our special weekend had to do with death.  If you were given enough time to write one letter describing your love for your spouse before leaving this world, how would you describe your feelings?  How would your spouse feel if you didn't leave such a letter behind?  Why wait until you are on your deathbed to share your feelings?  We were asked to write about all the feelings we have so that we each can know how much we are loved while we are still alive.  This does not come naturally for men and it was gut-wrenching for me, even to the point of becoming physically sick.  I made it through the retreat and went home a changed man, promising myself that from this day forward, I will always take every opportunity to express my love for her in her very own love language.

My sister and her husband, retreat graduates themselves,  arranged to get other couples together for monthly pot-lucks.  She challenged all of us to keep writing daily love letters.  Six years later, I have managed to write a love letter a day.  I also receive daily love letters from my wife.  Combined, we have written over four thousand love letters to each other.  In a way, it is like a daily journal, diary and love message, all rolled into about one page each.  At the top, we have a question.  It starts with "How do I feel about blank,blank, blank?"  Like the colors of the rainbow, we all have a wide variety of feelings.  Should you attempt to write love letters, remember not to judge your feelings.  They are not right or wrong, just emotions.  Sharing your feelings is what will make your relationship stronger.

If I could pass along just one lesson to my children or to you, this would be the lesson...don't hide your feelings from your loved one.  Express them.  Write love letters.  Learn about the language of love.  It's the most beautiful language known to man or woman.  Write love letters every day and be vivid with your words.  Paint pictures showing what's in your heart.  Use big brush strokes and fill the canvas so  your spirit comes alive like a masterpiece.  Your relationship will reach new heights as you share your feelings.  You only need a couple of spiral notebooks and a commitment to do this every day, every time, without fail, no exception.  Give it a try.  Your love is waiting for you to show your true colors, a work of art, uniquely created, one that can never be replaced.  Your pen is your paintbrush and your love is waiting to say "Wow".