Writing Letters to Your Children
Start a Letter
Writing Ministry
to Your Children Today!
By Jill Novak
Like
you, I try to nurture my children’s hearts everyday, but the truth is that
the busyness of life and countless outside distractions keep me from
preserving words that bring life, direction, and vision–unless I write a
letter. Letter writing bridges the gap between the words I long to express,
and the words my children and grandchildren will remember the rest of their
lives.
A Legacy for All Generations
There are as many reasons to write a letters as there
are people to receive them. Still, a practice so commonplace in previous
centuries has become a lost art to our generation. Many parents are
rediscovering the truth in the saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword!”
and have committed to writing letters to their children on a regular basis.
Whether you are writing about a moment you've shared, saying thank you, or
giving your child a vision for the future, letter writing is vital for
nurturing relationships.
The Inspiration for Writing to My
Children
I know that my mother liked to dabble with words. I
have a few of her precious attempts at poetry and prose, but the writing
that I hold dear to my heart are the two letters that she penned to me over
her whole lifetime. It hardly seems possible that I lived with her for 22
years and only have two letters to show for it.
Her poetry gives me glimpses into her heart, her love of
family and nature – things we share in common – but her letters give me a
sense of belonging and purpose. Her words, though few, are well chosen and
give me the vision to write letters to my children on a regular basis.
Two Letters from my Mother
Dear Jill,
It’s about 4 a.m. Christmas morning and as I lie here
thinking of all of you I want to cry for the joy God has put in my heart for
our family. I’ve always prayed He would do special things with each one of
you. I prayed for your salvation when I really didn’t know Him so well. Can
you imagine what He has in store for all of you now that we really know Him?
Know Him like we never knew Him before! May the power of God which
transcends all understanding be yours forever and may the Holy Spirit hover
over all of you, and protect you every hour of every day.
In the Love of Christ Jesus,
Mom
Dear Jill,
I want you to know how much I
appreciate you thoughtfulness. Everything you do and say is very much
appreciated by me, but I don’t always have the chance to put in words what I
feel. In loving Claire, you might have some idea how I as a mother have felt
for you. That doesn’t change because you are a woman, it just becomes a
mature caring at this point and seeing your relationship with Claire tells
me that the love my mother had for me has come through to be seen in your
love for Claire. Love is what it is all about isn’t it? God love your little
family, and may the Holy Spirit abound richly in each one of you.
Love,
Mom
Little did
my mother know the impact that these two letters would have in my life and
the lives of her grandchildren. She left a legacy of love and a memorial
to her relationship with the Lord. You can do the same. Letter witting is
one of the most effective ways to minister to the heart of your child and
give him a vision for his life.
Last week, my daughter Elizabeth came to talk to
me when I was working on the revised edition of The Gift of Family Writing.
She glanced at the monitor and saw the two letters that my mother wrote to
me. As she snuggled into my lap, I began to read them to her. I didn’t
realize until that moment that she hadn't heard of these letters before, so
I explained that they were the only letters that my mother wrote to me over
her lifetime. "Well, I hope you write lots of letters to me,” she said. Her
comment challenged me once again to make it a priority to write to my
children on a regular basis.
The Gift of Family Writing is filled with examples that will inspire and
equip you to begin a letter writing ministry to your family today. Learn about the many different types of
letters that you can write to your children.
.
Dear Jill,
My Daughter turned eighteen last week. What a
milestone! I wanted to do something special for her, so I wrote her a
letter. I wrote about many of the memories I have of her life and then I
wrote some verses of Scripture based on the theme of "fearing the Lord".
On the envelope on put stickers that were symbols of things from her
life.
That same week one of her friends was having a
"princess" party. She secretly wrote to each girl's father and asked them
to write a letter to his daughter to be read at the party. Writing is
difficult for my husband. He agonized over this letter. However, the final
result was beautiful! He wrote of memories he had of her and inside things
that only she and he shared. What a cherished gift.
Now I plan to write letters to each of my family for
the holiday season (we celebrate Hanukkah). Thank you so much for the
inspiration.
Thank you,
Jennifer White
Be Inspired by Jennifer's Letter in
The Gift of Family Writing
