"You've got mail". 3 little words that have all but eliminated the United States Postal Service from the letter mailing industry. When I bought my first computer back in 2000 and installed the AOL internet software, I was sure the internet was the best thing since sliced bread. Hearing those 3 words packed a punch of excitement so big it made my heart leap and my pulse race.
With baited breath I'd wait as I listened to the sound of the modem connecting to the provider. My day would instantly be brighter if I had mail which caused my computer to speak those 3 little words. The convenience of email has been a god-send to families and friends who are separated by distance. Companies across the globe are now able to conduct business transactions in the blink of an eye. The convenience of email has undeniable advantages.
However, as I was going through letters my grandfather had written to my grandmother while researching my family's genealogy, it dawned on me that I would not be leaving this kind of tangible legacy for my own children and grandchildren. Sure, I could print off email correspondence between my husband and I when we were separated due to a job transfer, but printer ink does have a limited life span and it just doesn't give the same feeling a handcrafted letter does.
There is something so intensely personal about someone putting their thoughts and experiences down on paper in their own handwriting. The recipient of that letter knows the sender has touched it with their own hands and the scent of their perfume or cologne may even still linger on the paper. While the convenience of email has facilitated the speed by which we go about our fast-paced lifestyles, it has also caused us to forget to sit back, relax, and breathe.
When I was a child, one of the neatest surprises was to get a letter or card in the mail from my grandparents. Oh the shouting and hoopla that would transpire with my brothers and I over whoever received that letter! We would carefully open the envelope making sure not to tear the flap too much so the letter could be folded and stored back in the envelope to keep it safe. The letter would gently be unfolded and read aloud as everyone sat around the recipient. I still have those letters my grandparents sent me some 30+ years later and I still go back and read them from time to time.
I decided after having this revelation to go and purchase a set of stationary and send out some letters. I went to 6 different retailers who carry stationary supplies and not a single one carried a set of ordinary stationary any longer. Oh yes, they carried folded note cards and lots of designs for print your own invitations, but not a single, solitary set of stationary.
It was as I stood there in that 6th store trying to think of where I could get a set of stationary that I remembered. Most of the letters we received were on sheets of plain lined, and sometimes unlined, note paper. Even the letters my grandfather sent to my grandmother while fighting in World War II were on plain paper.
The letters did not require fancy stationary with initials embossed in gold, or paper with pretty flowers decorating the corners. No, all we needed for a letter to be special were the thoughtfully chosen handwritten words put down on paper and the love that it was sent with.
by: Christie Bielss
Inspiration comes in as many different forms as there are people on the earth. While many are inspired in similar ways, every person has a unique internal mechanism which gets recharged by a certain special experience. That particular driving force creates a level of hope, calm, and understanding within each one of us which inspires us to do great works.
It is also that internal spark of resilience which inspires people after experiencing unthinkable injuries and tragedies to keep taking one step forward, when it seems like it would be so much easier to drown in a sea of anger, self-pity, and doubt. That spark inside the deepest depth of their soul keeps pushing them to get back up, take one more step, and seek a new direction.
I felt that spark ignite inside of me after I was injured and the doctors explained to me what my future held. That spark continues to drive me forward every single day. A spark of determination which does not rely on anger or self-pity, but on hope. A hope that cannot be denied, repressed, or quashed.
My hope and resilience, while it comes from a place within me, is not from me. I've tried relying on myself, family members, and even close friends to bring forth that spark, but it never lasted long. I've tried to force that spark to ignite and change me through reading books and listening to men and women speak, but they never sustained me.
It was only when the pain was unbearable and there was nothing left but the emptiness in my heart and very depths of my soul, that I came face to face with the force behind the spark. It is the energy of the Holy Spirit that gives my soul life and my heart happiness. His strength is what keeps me moving forward every single day when I could sit and wallow in self-pity and anger. His love is what sustains me when the pain overtakes my body and my thoughts. And it is His steadfastness which stands by and waits for my redheaded hard-headedness to get out of the way of His works.
Much like His servant Paul who sought healing from the thorn in his side, my healing has not been physical, it has been His grace which has been sufficient. When the pain increases and causes my heart to get heavy while my soul grows weary, I am reminded of Isaiah 40: 29-31:
"He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might
He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."
One day I will have wings like an eagle and I will soar with no limitations. Until then, I know this spark from deep within me is the driving force which keeps pushing me. With every push I know I am not alone because He continues to carry me when I am weak and walk beside me when I am strong. With all that I am, I know it is through Him that I am healed.
by: Christie Bielss
What is a Dad?
A Dad is someone who is your first hero.
A Dad is someone who will draw every animal you can think of on a restaurant napkin because he likes to see that twinkle in your eye as you try and guess which animal it was he drew.
A Dad is someone who stands with you when life is scary.
A Dad is someone who loves spending time with you, even if it means playing with Barbie's and letting you paint his nails with fingernail polish.
A Dad is someone who teaches you how to honor and respect others not just by his words but by his actions.
A Dad is someone who loves you enough to discipline you when you do wrong.
A Dad is someone who is the voice in your head when you make choices.
A Dad is someone who cheers you on in your successes and helps pick you up and guide you on a better path in your failures.
A Dad is someone who shows you his strength by getting on his knees and praying to the One who is greater than he.
by: Christie Bielss
