Send Mail!
By Vickey Pahnke Taylor

Once, when my mother and I were going through some of her “precious things” — memorabilia that she had saved through the years, mostly of things that pertained to her children, or to a sweet note from a friend or family member — we happened upon a stack of letters. They were letters I had written to her and my dad years ago, while a student at Brigham Young University. Because BYU was across the country from the state in which I lived, and I could only afford to fly home at Christmas and during summer, we wrote a lot of letters. Neither my parents nor I could afford many phone calls. These letters became our way of staying in touch and keeping up on the latest and greatest news.

The greater blessing turned out to be the stack of letters — now in my possession — that remind me of the laughter, the straightforwardness, the love between a father, a mother and a daughter. Reading through them with the kids, for the first time in years, some of them made me laugh.  Some made my children’s jaw drop.

 “Mom! You told MaMolly and PaPa (their ‘grandparent’ names) that??”

 “Mom, did you have to write a novel all the time?”

 “Mom, why did you write to them so much?” 

To that last question, I would just smile and say, “It was something I could do.”  My own children had not yet come to understand how vital it may be to stay in touch with written words when spoken ones are not possible.

Now that I am a mother with a couple of grown children, I better understand why my parents wanted me to send mail!  And now that I cannot always seem my children or my other family members or friends, I appreciate the blessing.  If any family or friends are reading this column —  Send Mail!

These days, we can accomplish this task easier through the miracle of e-mail. With both of my parents on the other side of the veil, any kind of mail between us is out of the question right now, but I love sending and receiving notes from my sister and from other family members and friends whom I hold dear to my heart.  Once in a while I will receive ‘just the right thing’ from a friend. A personal note, or the story that is forwarded, makes my day.  My sister, who has a ‘sixth sense,’ will write a note from time to time asking if everything is okay or if I’m feeling all right.  Comforting and reassuring it is to have this kind of thoughtfulness shown!

It has become clear to me that email can serve as a giant blessing if we will use it as a way of sharing together and helping one another.  Let me explain when this became so clear:

Several years ago, while writing a “Gems for Youth” column for M-Star (which later became part of the Church’s official site), I mentioned the blessing associated with our prayers for one another.  Because my small granddaughter was about to undergo serious and life-threatening surgery, I asked if readers would remember Lexi in their prayers.  Never expecting to hear a word, I had mentioned this fact simply because I felt like the readers were friends whom I had not yet met in mortality … that we are all in this together.

What a shocking and beautiful reality I discovered!  Wonderful people from all over the world wrote, letting me know that they were praying for our family. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I sat at the computer reading, day after day, encouraging and uplifting words from faithful persons around the globe. I was humbled. I was encouraged. I was filled with hope. For a period of time afterwards, readers would inquire after Lexi’s progress.  Wow!  They probably have no idea how very much their mail meant to me and to my family.

If you were one of those readers who took the time to let me know you were thinking of me and my family, thank you. That kindness will never be forgotten. In fact, I printed off each loving letter and put each of them in a file, so that Lexi may have access to them when she is grown.  What a precious stack of letters she will possess!  Thanks for sending mail!

Although I spend a good deal of time at the computer, I have not daily sent off a note ‘just because.’  While on some days I do well, on other days I have not gotten around to it.  Want to join me in a new habit?  I intend to send, daily, at least one “love note,” simply as a means of brightening someone’s day. If any of you are interested in adding this little service of “sending mail” to the daily schedule, here is a short list to follow:

1.  Take a moment to ponder over which friends or family members might benefit from a note of appreciation or thoughtful inquiry.

2.  Jot their names so that this little exercise is not forgotten.

3. Pull up the email address or write address an envelope if they do not have a computer.

4.  Prayerfully write a note of ten words or a thousand — whatever feels good.

5.  Hit “Send” or stick on a stamp and get it in the mail box.  (I add this caveat because I have been known to write letters, address and stamp them, then leave them sitting around  for Who Knows How Long.)

6. Smile for the next However-Many-Minutes because you lengthened your list of   “Good Deeds" for the day!

7.  Prepare for the blessing of hearing from those you have contacted. Maybe.

8.  Do it simply because you want to; not because you expect anything in return — including a return letter. The blessings associated with doing a good thing are yours to claim, regardless.

Our precious Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, “We, more than others, should carry jumper and tow cables not only in our cars, but also in our hearts, by which means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added momentum to mortal neighbors.” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p.56.)

With the internet, the world is our neighborhood. Our jumper and tow cables can reach far and wide.  We can “reach out and touch someone” around the corner from our house or around the globe.  The effect is much the same.  Sending mail is a way of saying, “I care.”  It is something we can do. 

Try it. If you are already in the habit of daily doing this good deed, just add a person or two to the list and increase the blessing.  Jot me a note if you are so inclined.  Let me know if a note you have received has been a blessing in your life. Share with me an experience which made your day.  Tell me of ways we may increase our ability to serve one another through the marvel of modern technology.  I will be anxious to hear. Send mail!