2010 – The Year of the Love Letter
January 8, 2010 | My Jottings
Have you ever eaten at a little dive of a Chinese restaurant and seen those paper place-mats that tell you what animal’s year it is? I don’t know if you’d call it the Chinese horoscope or what, but 2010 is the year of the tiger. Somehow I don’t think 2010 is going to be the best year for a certain Tiger, but for Chinese people this is the year of the tiger, and you’ll have to ask a Chinese person exactly what that portends. The year I was born was the year of the rooster. The year my husband was born was the year of the ox. The Ox and the Rooster: A Portrait of a Marriage…hmmmm…I think I could write a story about that one.
Anyway, a few months ago I started getting these regular feelings, or nudges, or subtle promptings, or whatever one would call them, about writing letters to the wonderful people in my life. I’ve written lots of letters over my half a century, so this wouldn’t be something new, but the nudges, those inward-elbow-in-the-ribs sort of feelings I was getting, have been really strong. So I’m going to act on this.
For me, 2010 is going to be The Year of the Love Letter. I am going to write a love letter to every person in my life who is supposed to get a love letter from me. I don’t know yet who all the recipients will be, but of course there are some obvious people who are at the top of the list. I have a husband, I have some children, I have some grandchildren – I think they should go on the list, don’t you?
Other than the fact that I have an intense desire to write love letters to those I love, I don’t know what this is all about. Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind that perhaps the woman born in the year of the rooster feels impressed to make 2010 the year of the love letter because perhaps it will soon be the year of the earthworm. But that could also just be my melancholy nature taking hold. It does that a lot, and I try to pay no attention to it.
At any rate, I feel a certain kind of anticipatory joy about sitting down every couple of weeks or so and taking pen and paper in hand (no e-mail for these love letters!) to write to whomever I’m supposed to write to. I could cry just thinking about it.
I have no idea who I’ll write to first. I have no idea what I will say (other than “I love you so much”), but it has been a long time since I’ve felt so certain about something.
What about you? Do you feel like you’re supposed to focus on something or accomplish something in 2010? Will it be the year of the beginning of the college degree? The year of the 10 pounds lost? The year of the needed vacation? The year of the big move? The year of forgiveness? The year of being fully present where you are? The year of cleaning your house? The year of not washing your hands 20 times a day? The year of actually trusting God? The year of not going to McDonald’s? The year of being a good listener? The year of speaking up? The year of finding out about Jesus? The year of saying no to high heels? The year of not squeezing your zits? The year of speaking blessings instead of cursings? The year of more consistent quiet times? The year of walking? The year of learning how to play the Irish Tin Whistle? The year of organizing your office? The year of honoring a promise? The year of flossing your teeth more? The year of driving the speed limit? The year of drinking less coffee? The year of laughter? The year of reading through the Bible? The year of getting to know your neighbors? The year of paying down your debt? The year of buying a properly-fitting bra? The year of saying you’re sorry? The year you jump for joy?
What do you hope 2010 will mean for you?
2010 is going to be the year of picture taking and cooking baking, of picking up long-lost hobbies and enjoying old friends, of creative excitement and peaceful enjoyment. I just know it.
I’ll add my vote to that too! Especially the “peaceful enjoyment” part. 🙂
2010 is going to be the year of giving up my love of movies to instead learn more about my best friend Jesus, and get to know Him more. 2010 will be the year of reaching out with all of my ability to the people on my campus, showing them the love that Jesus has for them! 2010 will be a year of contentment in where I am living, and not constantly wishing to be somewhere else!
2010…when did it get here? Seems like my mind is still in ’09!
This will be a year of incredible change for me and my husband, Peter. We have been caretakers for a family for 24 1/2 years and this past week the contents of the home we have been tending, was packed up by Wherley Movers and loaded into a huge semi. A man named Charles, with a scruffy beard and heavy southern accent, drove off with their possessions that I have dusted, cleaned or vacuumed all of these years. Some of the pieces of art and sculptures that I love, have found a home in the Burns’ new condo here in Duluth, so I will still have a bit of familiar to dust, clean and vacuum. What this means for our future is still up in the air. That we will trust God for. HE found us this job when there were no jobs, we didn’t have any “legal” skills and we needed a fresh start. Was it really so long ago? It seems fresh in my mind as I tell anyone who will listen about His Grace and Mercy towards two lost and hopeless people. I encourage you reading this to always proclaim your testimony…someone needs to hear it… So, as I have dreamed of the day that I would not have to plant the HUGE gardens and ache for days on end and have more time for Bible studies and whatever the LORD would have for me to do, perhaps this is the beginning.
Ginny, I think you need to use this new opportunity, and among other things, start a blog. You’re a great writer, you have such valuable, insightful things to say, you make me laugh, and I know others need to read what you have to share.