“THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LOVE LETTERS” …

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Oh my … every once in a while you get stopped in your tracks.  Stopped right in the middle of your ordinary day … with an opportunity to switch it all up.  To launch out of the usual  drone of our day to day existence and to really step into a reality that will nourish the hungry hearts that abide all over this planet … including your own.

It happened to me … just yesterday … as  I was paying bills and doing laundry and tackling my ‘to-do’ list for the day.  I wasn’t even aware that The Meredith Viera Show was on … but as I walked mindlessly past the TV, her answer to Meredith’s question sparked something tangible in my spirit.  Like the way our heart softens when we hear a baby laugh.  It was like that.  My heart heard something that stopped my body – right in it’s tracks.  There was something especially significant about this timid and humble girl named Hannah Brencher.  I learned that she has inspired a global movement intent on adding more light and love to the world … one letter at a time. And she is doing it!!  My heart was so tickled by the whole notion, I googled her website … and then I understood my reaction.  Here is a little bit about how it all started for her – in her own words:

So there’s a crazy backstory to all of this.

I moved to New York City after graduating from college. I thought I was going to walk straight into my dream life. I practically thought a red carpet would be rolled out for me. That didn’t happen though. In fact, it was basically the opposite. I found myself grappling with depression, unable to tell my family and friends because I was so ashamed. Depression is a scary thing. Depression, when you make yourself journey through it alone, is terrifying.

So I started to get really honest in the pages of my notebook. And eventually those thoughts morphed into letters and I found myself myself ripping the letters out and leaving them all over New York City for people to find. I left them everywhere: Coffee shops. Libraries. Coat pockets in department stores. I liked to imagine who might find those letters. 

Somehow that idea took on a life of its own after I blogged about it. My inbox was filled with the most heartbreaking stories I’ve ever encountered after I published a simple question on my blog: Do you need someone to write you a love letter today? Just ask. 

That one question changed my life forever as I spent the next year writing hundreds of love letters to strangers in all parts of the world. More than just the letters– that question is the reason you and I are here in this space right now. I started More Love Letters three years ago and we’ve become the only global organization out there that blesses individuals–young and old– with bundles of love letters during a time in need. We basically want to create the most miraculous experience for people when they need it most: hundreds of letters of support and encouragement showing up at someone’s door all because someone in their own life loved them enough to just ask for those love letters. 

We really want you here.

In fact, we need you here to help us make this whole “life” thing better for others. Life is hard. And yes, it breaks your heart. But you don’t have to go it alone. We’re right with you. It matters that you’re here. 

It’s my hope that you’ll get involved in the writing & the mailing. I mean, we’re already counting on you. And we’d really like it if you decided to stay. 

hannah b. & MLL

And so … I decided to check out the Letter Requests.  And, although I had planned on preparing my taxes this morning, I’ve decided to share this instead … it seemed like a much more meaningful investment of my energy for this Saturday morning.  And, I’m going to put a few lines of encouragement and support into a couple of notes. I’ve already picked out the two recipients for my messages from the ones whose stories are currently highlighted on the website.  And I am committed to sending more. This altruistic notion has fueled me beyond description.  And I wanted to share it with you because I expect that it will stir something within you too.  There is a small space in each of our souls that craves to dwell in the pure essence of love …

Yes, the world needs more love. And definitely … THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LOVE LETTERS.  Because … there will always be trials and tribulations along our paths.  And maybe … just maybe, as you are reading this, you are thinking of someone you know whose heart could be swelled into that divine and sacred sense of being seen and soothed with a bundle of love letters.  I already have someone in mind. You can  nominate someone here.  And you can nominate as many people as your heart desires.  We can work together to ensure that people don’t feel alone in their darkest moments.

I sincerely hope you will check out this amazing initiative … and … if/when you do, just pause for a wee moment and notice how you feel as you flirt with the possibilities of being a catalyst for love between the bed-making and trips to the office and the carpools.  You + Me = WE … and we can co-conspire with others in raising the energy and awareness of this sublime movement.  We (you and me) can help bring immeasurable light into the dark spaces that many people are struggling to see their way through …with just a few written words.

Gotta go … I want to write some love letters, Karen ❤

P.S. I also want to take this opportunity to honor and applaud Hannah Brencher for blessing our humanity with her bold and brilliant and beautiful heart!!! You might also add a little more kindling to your internal flame by picking up her book If You Find This Letter: My Journey to Find Purpose Through Hundreds of Letters to Strangers. It’s just such a remarkable story. Or, if you prefer, you can sample her captivating writing style first by checking out her blog.