The Power of a Letter

Yesterday I met a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who shared a very touching story.

Sitting next to him and his wife at an oyster bar, he noticed I was writing a letter. He told me that when he served in the military, there were three things you knew, as a soldier, not to mess with: "my mail, my money or my girlfriend."

Mail Call was a highlight for men and women in the military. A contrast to the "repression" that is prominent in military life—

Letters received in the mail offered a feeling of connection with someone in the outside world who really cared about you. 

Now he works at the VA in San Francisco. "We get it," he said, when I told him how generally unwilling I am to repress my love for fellow humans.

I noted the obvious, "I'd never make it in the military."

Indeed letters are powerful, particularly when they are hand written.

Afternote: I’ll include a piece I wrote on The Top 3 Reasons Why Letter Writing is Powerful, in my book, Making Love to Fear.