When I went to the mailbox, there it was. An envelope with the tell-tale stickers all over it. I knew who sent it before I looked at the return address or recognized the familiar hand writing.

A letter from my sweet young friend who lives in another city is always a welcome treat. She and I have been pen pals for a number of years now since she moved away. We used to go to church together; and she was in my Sunday school class at one time.

We talk on the phone occasionally. We even manage a visit one in awhile.

In this day of email, Facebook, cell phones, and instant messages of all sorts, letters are an old fashioned way of communicating. Yet my friend and I treasure this ritual.

She says she finds little time to write these days, being a mother of a delightful pre-schooler. She spends a lot of time interacting with her daughter, volunteering at her church, and keeping the home fires burning for her husband and family. No wonder she doesn’t have much time to write. And that is part of what makes the letter so precious. It is her offering, her sacrifice of time, that tells me she values our friendship.

I have to say I enjoy having my cell phone handy when I need to make a quick call or talk to Sweet William. I am a little duck in the big puddle of Facebook, checking on friends and family. And email is one of the most efficient ways for me to communicate when I am at the office.

But there is no substitute for the written word on paper stuffed in an envelope that is covered with cute stickers.  There are even a few lines written on the outside to entice me to delve into the contents. It is worth much more than the 44 cent stamp that brought it to me.   

It is a memorial of friendship. It makes me remember her and our times together. It brings a smile and a chuckle.

I can’t wait to start a letter back to her.

The written word.  I’ve been reading and thinking about it alot lately.  God allows us to share ourselves through words spoken and written.  It is the same with Him.  He shared Himself through spoken words to prophets and the written word preserved for us in the book called the Holy Bible.  Yet, even more astounding is the truth that He shared Himself like no other ever has.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

In the beginning was the Word . . .

Please leave your comment, your words.  I love reading them.