No, this is not another Valentine’s Day post. This is about love letters for strangers that you can leave to be discovered or send to be bundled up and delivered to a hurting person. While I’m posting about this in February, it is something you can do at any time of year.
If you decide right here and now that you want to leave love letters for strangers, you could sit down, write a letter telling the recipient that they matter, go out and leave it on a bus seat or a table at a coffee shop, and not even bother to read the rest of this post.
But if you’re intrigued about sending a letter that will be given to a specific person, or if you want to hear a little bit about the story behind these love letters, read on.
Hannah Brencher, founder of The World Needs More Love Letters, was almost certainly not the first person to leave a positive note for someone to pick up. People have been leaving kind messages in books or on sticky notes placed where people will find them for years. But when she first drafted a letter and left it on the subway, she was unknowingly starting a movement. She felt pulled to leave love letter after love letter for strangers, and then she asked the readers of her blog if anyone would like her to send them one. The requests poured in, until it got to be far more than she could handle. Now her website encourages visitors to leave love letters for others to find or send letters to people who have been nominated to receive a bundle. College students can start a Campus Cursive chapter.
If you want to inspire yourself with the story behind Hannah’s project, pick up a copy of her memoir, If You Find This Letter. I was amused that the book is called “a memoir,” because Hannah is not yet 30 years old. Nevertheless, I enjoyed her story, and I certainly understood her yearning to make a difference. Hannah has found her purpose, at least for now, in The World Needs More Love Letters. Given her age, I wouldn’t be surprised if she found more to do that will touch others’ lives.
This week, take a look at the website for The World Needs More Love Letters. If a letter request moves you, or if you feel inspired to leave a random love letter, take some time to write your letter, and send a little love into the world.