Love letters

I get lots of notes and letters. Nowadays a lot is through electronic media - e-mail, Facebook, text messages, and the like. Some is from the US Postal Service, but not as much anymore. And every now and then I'll have something handed to me in person - usually in the form of a memo at work.

For the most part these correspondences don't mean much, other than reminding me of something that's expected of me, or someone asking for money, or a blanket "have a nice day" that's sent to God knows how many people. In my lifetime, I think I've received only two letters that have really meant anything to me.

The first one was given to me at a retreat my senior year in high school. All the students at the retreat were given a letter from their parents. Mine was from my mother, about three pages, typed on a manual Olivetti typewriter (I'm old ... personal computers were not around then). The letter talked about all the times she hugged me, from the day I was born, through the happy times, and through the rough times. This letter is one of the few mementos I saved from high school. (It's tucked away in one of my high school yearbooks, which alas, is in a box somewhere behind a portable heater and other clutter in my garage.)

The second letter that has had an impact on my life is the love letter from my Father in heaven, the Bible. It tells of how much I am valued by the One who formed me in my mother's womb, knows everything about me, and yet loves me anyway. Just as there is safety in my mother's hugs, Psalm 91 reminds me that we can find safety in God's protection.

I admit, there are some parts I don't fully understand, but the more I read it, the more I want to read it. The more I learn about how much I am loved, the more I love Him.