Write Letters After Moving!💌 (Here’s Why…)

My mom recently told me that my love language is words.  When she said that, I believed her because of what I’ve seen in myself.  I write letters quite a bit, and if I love someone or am thankful for them, I will often write them a letter.  After moving to Ohio, I have spent even more time writing to friends and family.  After all, I couldn’t easily have a face to face conversation on a regular basis anymore.  I’ve found that sometimes a friendship gets stronger when you start writing even if you just moved away.  ESPECIALLY if you just moved away!   I wanted to keep up friendships after moving and letters was one way to do this. It might seem old-fashioned, but it’s probably better than you think! Here are two reasons to start writing letters on a consistent basis and how to do it!

1.  The “Texting Trap”

If you rely on texting you probably won’t end up with many substantial conversations.  Here’s how my texting conversations usually look:

Me: Hey!  😀

Friend: Hello!

Me: Wyd?

Friend: School…not much.  Wyd?

Me: Working on math and about to eat lunch!😄

Friend: Cool!

Me:  How’s your CC stuff going?

Friend: Pretty good.  I gtg work on it though.😢 Ttyl!

Me: Bye!

It’s totally fine to touch base like this, but it is not very substantial.  It’s very shallow, and I didn’t get to know my friend any better through.  Texting is fun and quick and is still an okay way to communicate. But I want you to ask yourself a question:

“Is texting keeping our friendship strong?”

2.  Surprised-at-How-We-Changed Problem

If you don’t keep up to date on a consistent basis, you might be in for a surprise.  People change a lot in their teens.  When you’re in the same state seeing your friend every week, you won’t be surprised by the changes going on in your lives, but if you stay apart for a while, your meeting might be surprising. There have been different times in my life when I see someone again, and it’s like they’re a different person!  But if you keep up on a regular basis, you will be able to stay close.  Writing letters and Face Time seem to offer the best conversation and the best way to keep a friendship strong.  By the way, don’t let change scare you!  You’ll change too, and if you both commit to staying in touch, you can keep the friendship strong even when you are both changing.

How to do it!

1. Ask

Ask a friend or relative to be pen pals!  I am pen pals with my grandma

2.  Write

Try to write about things going on in your life and ask questions about things going on in your friend’s life.  Try to start a good conversation by telling some of the questions you’ve been asking, asking for prayer requests, and telling what you’ve been learning  in your Bible or in life.

3. Be Consistent!!!

This is important!  Try to write back within a week or ASAP and continue the chain of letters😀

Do you have a Pen Pal?  Did you find anything helpful in this post?  Do you write very often?  Let me know in the comments below!  As a challenge to my readers, I want you to find a friend who lives far away and ask to become pen pals with them.  To let me know you’re in on the challenge, just comment, “I’m in!”

P.S. I know I’m not pen pals with all of my friends, but I am open to being Pen Pals with those of you who I know!😀