Let me be really clear:
I’m definitely not the greatest friend.
The thing is…. most of my best friends live states away. and I’m REALLY BAD at any form of communication that isn’t face-to-face. I’m really really terrible at it.
and there’s one person in my life that is constantly throwing the ball in my court, even when it sometimes just kind of bounces off of me and rolls back to her side. She is hands down one of the most important, influential people in my life.
In fact, whenever I listen to that Dave Barnes song, “God Gave Me You,” her face is the one I think of when I hear the line “you’ll always be love’s great martyr, and I’ll be the flattered fool. and I need you.”
Her name is Claire.
When I first met her, she was a tiny little gal. Sassy and silly and sometimes scary, but so cute and so fun. and now she’s gone from being this little tiny fireball to this beautiful grown up fireball.
Look:
So a few months ago, Claire was driving through town and we were able to catch up briefly. Time with her is always too short, because she is wise beyond her years and pee-your-pants hilarious and such a joy to be around. It was right before I took a leap of faith and told Ryan I liked him, and Claire was there to get caught up on the whole thing – which almost had me at my breaking point.
Shortly after she returned to school, she sent me one of the most heart-filled, beautiful collection of words in the form of a letter. Claire’s a word person. Like she will out of the blue send me a text message that sometimes makes me fall to the ground because it is full of love and affirmation. So then all the Ryan stuff happened and I kind of texted her about it, but I refused to even begin to overshare any part of it because I wanted to tell Claire. In a letter. With words I have to carefully choose because my hand would get too tired if I constantly started re-writing the letter because of a poor choice of words, you know?
I was scrolling through the Blogging for Books site, looking at the different books that were available to review and I saw this book, The World Needs More Love Letters All-in-One Stationery and Envelopes
. Let me tell you, I was on that like stink on poo. As I anxiously checked the mail every day, I kept thinking “Claire.” Then when I opened the envelope I thought “Claire.” One of my favorite parts of the package is the prompts of love letters listed inside of the covers.
Some of the prompts were very couple-related, so I decided to come up with a list of prompts to help you send your best friends a little note telling them you care. The stationary in this book is perfect for this kind of thing. You tear out a page and it has everything you need. One side is lined for the letter, and the other side has a line for the address. You seal, stamp and send. There’s actually no excuse for me to not write to Claire, ESPECIALLY now that I’ve compiled this list.
30 Love Letters to Send Your Best Friend.
- Your very first memory of them
- A list of your inside jokes
- Your most favorite thing about them
- Something that always reminds you of them
- An acrostic poem using their name
- Â Write out your favorite memory
- Something about them that makes you proud
- Try to come up with a list of places you’ve been together
- Record a few ways that you’re radically different
- Write out a playlist for them. Bonus points if you send an iTunes gift card for them to purchase the songs with.
- Send them a collection of funny jokes
- Dream big for them: tell them where you see them being in 20 years.
- Send them a list of your favorite Bible verse references. Just the references. Let them look them up.
- Create a Word Search with words that are important to you
- Send them words of bravery in an area of their life that they are fearful.
- Make a portrait of them.
- Share with them ways they have changed your life.
- Write a short story with them as the main character. It can be goofy or symbolic.
- Make a list of things you’ve learned from your best friend.
- Smudge the parts of your meal on the paper and send it to them so it’s like they ate with you. Write about the meal on the paper.
- Find a picture of the two of you and send it without any explanation.
- Compile a list of words that describe your best friend.
- Thank them again for things you’ve already thanked them for.
- Make up a TV show featuring the two of you. What would the premise be?
- Write them a poem
- Look for their name in newspapers/magazines and make a collage of their name.
- Identify their strengths and encourage their weaknesses.
- Share with them a deep dark secret that they don’t even know about.
- Gratitude is the ultimate spirit lifter. Write down thirty things you are thankful for today and share it with your best friend*
- Turn them into items on a restaurant menu and write clever descriptions. Bonus points for pictures.
Claire is one of the loudest love letters God has ever sent to me, and I am so grateful for her grace with my communication slacking, her commitment to affirming her friends, and the joy she brings to my life.
The world definitely needs more love letters. More love letters like Claire.
I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.
