With only a few days to go, we need to make a plan for Valentines Day.
Flowers, chocolates, diamonds? Well, here’s a simpler idea- how about a love letter? Young or old, everyone appreciates them. And I’m talking about the real deal with pen to paper. Emails don’t quite do it. Even the millennials prefer a handwritten sentiment. Margaret Shepherd notes in The Art of the Personal Letter, according to a survey taken in Women’s Day Magazine, more than half of the women given all of the above choices, preferred a written love letter the most! Why not? It’s a keepsake.
So let’s get focused. There are oodles of commercial cards that express a full range of sentiments. If you’re feeling adventurous, I’d like to encourage you to be more individualistic and heartfelt. How about simply stating something you REALLY admire about your friend, spouse, lover, child, relative, co-worker…You can compliment them on, say, their sense of humor, a cute little gesture that makes you smile, or some admirable quality… Think of something you like 
about them, and write it down. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering. Think of the small things that folks do that make your life more pleasant. Be sincere. An opening phrase could be, “I’m happy to have this chance to tell you…or thanks for listening, or for putting up with me, or for being in my life.”
Remember love is an ability. It is so much more than a feeling. Love embraces the whole of us “warts and all!”
Think about placing these love notes/letters on a mirror, in a lunch box , on a pillow. Create a pleasant surprise. And of course, there’s always the mail box.
TIP: A friend once told me she was so unsure of her handwriting that she ruined many cards with her mistakes. How about writing a draft of what you want to say on apiece of scrap, then transfer it to the card or sheet of paper. I like to position my card against a sheet of lined paper to give my eye and my script a horizontal line to follow.
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References-
Shepherd, Margaret. The Art of the Personal Letter. Broadway Books, New York. 2008
Salzberg, Sharon. Real Love. Flatiron Books. New York. 2017.
“The Pillar Box-A Letter to Daddy” by Fernand Le Quesne