More love (letters, that is)

So I'm going to take a break from the norm - talking about OUR lives, dreams, and adventures - and I am going to introduce you to someone and something beautiful. Her name is Hannah and she is the founder of The World Needs More Love Letters. Patrick and I met this vibrant twenty-something back at our church in New Haven and were immediately intrigued by her passion, for she is a professional love letter writer.

Copyright Tiffany Farley 2012

Ever heard of one? Me neither!

But this gal IS one, and the idea is going some BIG places.

It all started in 2010 in New York City. Young girl goes to the Big Apple and finds it a lonely place indeed. But the difference is that this girl turned her loneliness out with the stroke of a pen. She began to write letters. Her subjects? The strangers on the Train she rode next to everyday. She would write and leave them in the most unexpected places - cafes, park benches, anywhere. One letter turned to ten turned to twenty, and soon she had written the city of New York four hundred love letters.

(Not love as in romance. That would be silly) 

I mean LOVE - as in unconditional care for another. Because we are all on the same journey and need to be reminded we're not alone, we matter, and someone out there thinks we're worthy.

She invited others to join her. And not even two years later, her idea has gone global. Over four thousand letters have been written to people on six continents, all in the name of telling strangers they are loved. Her project has been noticed by the Wall Street Journal, the White House, and Oprah. Yep.

Apparently she is onto something.

People have bought into this simple idea in droves. Why? Because in this world of technological advancement, what we all still seek at its most basic is true connection. We long for words of affirmation, spoken in truth, sent straight to the heart. I think this is what Hannah is trying to accomplish. And I think that's something worth getting behind.

Please have a peek at her organization and her story. She can tell it in better words than I can!

A Breath of Fresh Washington

Hello Washington, it's been so long since I've had the pleasure! I'll have you know that I now believe absence truly does make the heart grow fonder - at least in relation to location :) After nearly six months away, Patrick and I made the multi-flight trek back to our home state for a long-awaited visit, which featured a particularly lovely event - my only sister's wedding. 

For those of you who know Michelle, you'll know what I mean when I say she was a radiant bride. It's a strange thing, to try to imagine your little sister stepping into the shoes of a woman so effortlessly. Last I checked, wasn't she supposed to be 12...? 

But sometime during the past 10 years she has grown into this amazing person who is ready to join lives with another amazing person. For her fiancé (now husband) is just that. She planned the entire wedding from across the country and pulled it off beautifully - not only because she IS beautiful, but because she was the essence of certainty. 

There is something truly captivating about a woman who knows herself.

I've never been a Matron of Honor before (tangent - I really struggled with that word: matron. For me, it invokes images of long pastel dresses with large puffed sleeves...ugh) but it was great, because being the MoH literally translates to "do everything with the bride!" So I got to accompany her to venue checks, hair appointments and emergency Rite Aid runs. Read: super fun! I also had a stellar line up of bridesmaids to work with. They not only helped me plan awesome pre-wedding fun from all corners of the US, but they genuinely love my sister. There's nothing better than that :)

Wedding day, Saturday 6/9/12 - Highlights for me included a morning limo ride with coffee and donuts  to get the bridal party's hair done, retrieving a McChicken for the bride an hour before the ceremony, and having a front row to my dad's final daughter speech. The best man's was nice, and I think I said something pretty good (I can't remember now, lol), but no one can top Mr. Creek :)

It was an all-day affair, as weddings are for the wedding party, but I hardly noticed. There was too much good stuff happening! It wasn't until 10pm, after the last centerpiece was packed and leftover cheesecake boxed, that we made our way to my parent's home for one last night. It was the most serene evening, sitting with them in our old living room. Like a big exhale. 

The day was done and all was well. 

The next day we left for Spokane, my second hometown. I literally took no pictures of these three days, even though we saw many a loved one. I think I was too busy absorbing it all into my heart - yes, I just said that cheesy thing. But I mean it! Watching the city's skyline unfold as we crested I-90 heading north was like stepping into a familiar hug. I know this place and it knows me. Something you might take for granted until you've trod the streets of much bigger, less personal places. 

We filled each day to the brim, meeting friends at every turn. We went to our home church with our home Smallgroup. We enjoyed many of our favorite restaurants and also dined at new locales. We got up early, we stayed up late. And we had those talks with friends that can only happen face to face - the really good ones. Needless to say, we left with hearts full. 

Oh, did I mention that nearly this entire week in Washington it was either overcast or raining? The air was so crisp and cool, so starkly different from the humid heatwave back East. It literally hailed the night before we left, and we just stood on the stoop of our friend's home, watching, being splashed from time to time. Breathing deep, it was like being washed clean. 

We flew out the next day and were in Baltimore before we knew it. Back in this city full of strangers, the wedding just a memory - the week, done and gone. And everyone we saw now 2,500 miles away. But I love that they are there. I love that Eastern Washington goes on existing while we are so very far from it. Because no matter where we go, a big part of me will always be from there, and will (hopefully) always return there.