Recently I had two very pleasant surprises.  I received in the mail two pieces of correspondence that caused great memories to return to me.  One letter was from a mentor of mine in the 80’s who wanted to recommend some new book titles to me.  We don’t keep in very good contact these days, so this was a very nice surprise.  The other letter was from a cousin with whom I was quite close throughout our high school years.  Again, we don’t keep in good contact these days, but both letters gave me a wonderful store of memories and I couldn’t help but smile as I recalled the many conversations we had and the things we did and shared together.  Each letter was a graced gift!

Who has influenced your life?  Who has been important in shaping the individual you are today?  Someone once said that we are all amalgamations of every person we have ever met.  Obviously, some folks have had more influence on us than others.  Perhaps we need to take the opportunity to let them know that.  Maybe this Lent can be a time where we take a few minutes to write to someone who means something important to us and let them know how they have affected our lives.

We may not know where they are, or if they are alive or dead, but we can write that letter anyway.  Each person we encounter graces us.  It’s up to us to be aware and recognize that fact.  Let your memories guide your writing.  It will be filled with grace.

And, if you can mail that letter, I guarantee, it will fill the other person’s life with grace.