Dear Friends

Dear friends,

“I like to start my notes to you as if we’re already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we are the oldest and dearest friends, as opposed to what we actually are, people who don’t know each other’s names…” – Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail.

I’ve wanted to start this for a while now, but I’ve put it off for so many different reasons since the initial lightbulb moment. So often, life stops me from doing important things. Life blocks me lately in the form of doubts, family stresses, Netflix binges, job searches, and mundanities of day to day living.  Can you relate?

I get caught up in the day to day so much that I forget to realize that I actually *am* moving forward. I’ve got an 8 ½ x 11 piece of white paper taped to the side of the tall dresser next to my bed. It’s labeled “My Life Plan” in a colored marker and is reminiscent of my 8th grade English reading maps, covered in graphics to lay out possibilities and goals for the next five years. I made it at a time of desperation a couple months ago. For better or worse, it’s the first thing I see when I wake up every morning. I’ve grown so used to it that I don’t pay much attention to it anymore (sort of defeats the purpose, I guess?), but this morning, for whatever reason, I glanced at it – and then stared. I’m more on track than I thought, on my way down a path that, months ago, seemed so distant. Who knew? I definitely didn’t, until I looked back at what I’d written down.

I want to start this little correspondence with you as a way to track progress, little achievements, things to remember, things to love, how to’s, insights, etc. All the things that I share with my dear friends. I know this isn’t anything new, but there are always things to add to the “dear void” (as Kathleen Kelly called the internet way back then). My mission of these little notes is to provide a place where there will always be something uplifting, funny, interesting, helpful, or beautiful. That’s what my friends add to my life, and that’s what I believe everyone needs from a best friend. And who doesn’t love a great letter from a good friend?

I love the idea of letters. It started back when I was a missionary in the midwestern US for my church at the beginning of my twenties. Letters and emails were the only consistent communication I had with my friends and family for 18 months. Every Monday, my missionary companion and I would go to the nearest library – often just tiny little things near a town square –  and type furiously to finish as many emails as possible during our planned hour of communication. To save time, I’d spend part of my stipend to print the emails I received, and I’d read and reread them during lunches and before bed during the week until next Monday rolled around.

I loved the letter form so much that, for my Young Adult Novel Writing class in college, I chose to write a novel completely in letters. Though I had a few good lines and, according to my teacher, “great voice,” I stopped my book after that semester, due partially to lack of momentum and partially to the nearly soul-crushing critique on my final submission.

I discovered The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a couple years later, and in it found a rare personal trump card. The story is told solely in letters, takes place in London and idyllic Guernsey Island (a British beach town!), and details two of the greatest heroines of modern literature, Juliet Ashton and Elizabeth McKenna (at least in my humble opinion).

I have to also acknowledge the influence of one Ms. Joanna Goddard. She is the Queen of these kind of blogs. If you haven’t visited her corner, go now. You won’t regret it. I’ve learned a lot from her.

I love reading and hearing other perspectives on the facets of life. I’d love for you to write back by leaving a comment or contacting me directly!

Your newest bestie,