Letters of Love

As I ready my children for school, I stand at my kitchen counter packing wholesome lunches all set to be tucked away into their boxes and carted off to school. Along with their balanced meal, I lovingly slip in a note of love which promises of homemade cookies and cold milk upon their return. –– WAIT!… Scratch that… How could I forget? I don’t send my kids off to school. I don’t pack them lunches in cute little boxes. I don’t give them milk and cookies when they come back because they never leave. I don’t send them little love notes in their lunch pails; there are no lunch pails.

When shopping for back-to-school supplies, I happened upon a set of adorable lunch note cards for parents. What a cute idea, I thought! In reality, I have no use for them. We homeschool, so I don’t pack meals for our kids. I don’t box a lunch for my guy; he works at home. I make our lunch at the stove and then we sit down to eat as a family But the idea behind the love notes was touching. Surely there must be a way for me to use them. Then an idea struck! Part of dating someone is writing love letters, right? So if I was “dating my children“, surely I would need to write them “love letters”. These little notes would indeed come in handy.
Now I needed to find creative ways to deliver my letters of love. Perhaps when we are on a field trip, I could attach them to their juice boxes or water bottles. I could tuck it into the front cover of their current read. I could stick them to the chairs at the kitchen table between breakfast and the beginning of our day. There are so many possibilities, I could go on forever.

Whether it is a stack of silly little notes or a handmade card, I need to remember my family appreciates these demonstrations of love. To them, it is anything but little. I constantly am trying to find ways to show my heart and express my feelings. As homeschoolers, I have to be a tad more creative. I am learning to take advantage of an opportunity when I see it. I can’t use a lunchbox, but I can use other things. The key is remembering and doing, no matter how little or how silly.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
~ Proverbs 22:6

We’d love to know… Do you write your children letters of love? What creative ways to do you find to deliver them?

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The Messenger

What’s in a name? A name is more than just something by which we are called; in a sense, it is our reputation. Did you know there are a multitude of names for God? 

Each name unique and powerful; the list is endless. Join us on this exciting adventure through Scripture, where we will learn some amazing verses, talk about how those verses should affect our lives, and discuss some practical ways to make these names “real”.

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“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:1

During this busy season, many of us are no doubt receiving Christmas cards by the dozen. If we can afford the postage, we are probably sending out just as many letters as we are getting. We display our cards proudly: on our tables, hanging on the front door, sitting on top of the piano. Here in Malachi, we are reminded of the true Message and the One who brings it.

It’s interesting to note that messengers do not carry their own message; rather, they bring new from another. Christ was not coming on His own behalf, but to speak for God the Father. The message He brought was about the Kingdom of God and the redemption which was being offered to all mankind. His message was for us!

While admiring the beautiful cards sent to us this Christmas, now is the perfect opportunity to thank God for His Message. The reason we celebrate this season is because of Him; the birth, death, and resurrection of the Son is the most amazing gift we could ever receive.

Consider placing all your cards in a pile and praying over each family. Ask the Lord to guide them in this coming year and to make Himself known to them.

Feel like having a little more fun? Write your own messages… thank you cards!

Time to Chime In: Do you tend to save your Christmas cards or toss them once the season is over? Here’s the moment of truth… (laughing)

The Conversation

It seems such a lost art these days; letter writing. We text, we email, we IM, and we Facebook; we don’t really take the time to compose a meaningful letter though, do we?

Now that school has begun and we are back to our regular routine, the creative writing project is in full swing! Every few days, I don my alter ego and write a slew of letters to the other characters.

Through our letters to each other, we are learning to be creative and imaginative. We are exploring each other’s worlds and having an adventure on paper.

I have not demanded that my children write at certain intervals, as I was afraid that this might hinder them from wanting to write. I did, however, suggest that at least one note be written per week. 

What has surprised me the most is that I don’t have to constantly remind them to write their one letter, but rather they are complaining that I don’t respond fast enough! I can compose my notes, place them in their mailboxes, and by the next morning another stack of notes awaits me!

Talk about being inspired! My children are constantly hunting up ideas to write on, questions to ask, and thoughtful insights into my character’s problems. They are eager to sit down and respond to whatever thoughts I might have had in return.

This has been the best and most efficient form of encouraging our children to explore creative writing. To see their joyful faces when they have mail and their giggles when they leave it, has brought me much happiness.

Now… I had better go check my box and get busy. I am afraid I have been a little negligent. Who knew this might become a full time job?

Do you like to receive mail? What is the most memorable letter you ever received?

Head Games

Letterhead and Envelopes may be the first encounter that someone has with you and first impressions can be very important. The look and feel of your stationery should have a subtle but powerful impact. You should have a clean, impressive design that will leave an impression.¹

We were just about ready to start our creative writing assignment, when we got an inspiration! Our characters needed their own stationery. This would help us to set the stage and urge us to get started.

Each of us got to work; some on the computer, some in the crafting area, and some in the backyard. The kids were encouraged to be creative and have fun! Here are some of the fun ideas we came up with.

My husband, his character being a detective, decided on formal letterhead that even included an image of a typewriter! My character being a young student/socialite whose father is a spy, I went with a hummingbird and a flower.

Our oldest daughter has decided to be a Kingdom Keeper DHI, so her letterhead contains a Mickey Mouse Silhouette. Our second daughter chose to really think outside the box. She is a faerie and her letters are composed on paper that she has “stained” to look old and worn. She’s attached fresh flowers and written her notes with a fountain pen. Our littlest lady chooses to also be a fairy, but writes her notes on the smallest scraps of paper that she kind find, writing with miniscule print.

While these little details may be lost on some (after all, it is only a note, right?), they make the writing an adventure. Being artistic and creative helps to lessen the pressure of needing to compose the “perfect note”. Instead, we are focused on the overall presentation and the imagery. 

The writing now becomes a joy, as we are adding to the atmosphere and the magic of the moment. These fine points help us to delve into our characters, allowing ourselves to be immersed in the adventure.

It seemed that all of the background work for our characters was done, thanks to the great ideas listed on Dante’s Wardrobe! Now all we needed to do was get started! The first day of school was coming up quick (as we did this project right before school started) and we were all excited to get busy.

The first morning of school, my mailbox was packed to the gills with mail. Oh, my! It seemed our anxious kids couldn’t even wait for the first day of school to begin… we were already starting!

Do you have a stationary just for you? Did you design the letterhead yourself? If so, what was your inspiration?