It's the little things...

When he waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home, make sure they call his name.

 When he holds his letter close, make sure your words are something to hold on to.

When you say your prayers at night, you don't have to pray that he misses you. He does, so pray for his courage and safety instead.

"...the letters were precious"

A soldier explains how much the hand-written letters he received meant to him. He explains that this is even more important in Afghanistan, because email and phone communication is far less accessible than it is in Iraq. Full Article

Best Line: "handwriting and perfume-- you can't get through the phone or e-mail"

More photos of Soldiers With Letters

Motivation

This week, during my second visit to the Waltham Post Office, a postal worker smiled at me, and I politely smiled back and went back to filling out-- yet again-- the 2976A Customs Form. I had that feeling.. you know, when you can tell someone is debating whether to ask a question (usually for directions, or if you've met before). When I looked up, he simply said "God bless you, and tell that lucky solider that we thank him and stand behind him."

I stayed a few more minutes as he told me stories about serving in Vietnam, and he quickly and completely reassured me that I shouldn't worry so much about the little things-- like whether my letters are silly (what I burned in the kitchen) or uninteresting (what I'm learning in grad school), or if my packages ever get boring or repetitive. He told me something that put a smile on my face, kept it there all day, and was quickly sent right through the phoneline to my wonderful friend "R" as well!

He said: "To a soldier, hearing your name at mail-call is like hearing I Love You for the first time. It can make-or-break your spirit, especially on tough days. If your name is called, you feel like a God".

I started into a "but what if..." but before I could get another word out, he jumped in and said "It doesn't matter what you send. If you sent cookies and they arrived as a bag of crumbs, they taste like home-made cookies on a snowday. You can send a letter with nothing more than 'Hi!' written on it, and it will make his day."

So, while I have my bases covered on those last two scenarios (see Cookies and Writers Block), these words were so comforting, a welcome surprise, and are an incredible first-hand source of motivation.

Bottom Line: Find 5 minutes in your day or week and write a letter to your soldier! XO