All Things Writing
 

I’ve been journaling for as long as I can remember—probably since I first learned how to hold a pencil. It’s never been anything fancy, just me writing down whatever’s on my mind. I’ve filled notebooks with prayers, random thoughts, verses, lists, ideas… whatever I’m carrying around in my head or heart.

When I was about 12, I got into penpalling. I started writing to the sweetest Christian lady (who I still write to, six years later!), and it quickly became something I looked forward to more than almost anything. Since then, I’ve picked up a few more penpals—four now, with two I write most often. They all live in Kansas. (Totally unplanned.) But I’m hoping to find a pen pal outside the U.S. sometime soon—maybe in England or Italy. How fun would it be?!

There’s nothing like opening your mailbox and seeing a real letter—your name handwritten on the front, the paper still cold from outside, sometimes scented with whatever their home smells like. It’s quiet and thoughtful and personal in a way that nothing else is. Penpalling isn’t just about letters for me—it’s about the connection you have with the writer, sharing pieces of life on paper. Just your pen pal and you.

Penpalling feels like a slower kind of friendship. You’re not texting or calling—you’re waiting, writing, listening, and responding. It teaches you to pay attention and care about someone’s words enough to sit down and write back. That is rare now, and it’s probably why I love it so much.

Sometimes I’ll decorate the envelope a bit, add stickers or dried flowers, handmade this-or-thats or Q&As, or tuck in a tea bag or a pressed leaf. Other times, it’s just a plain letter written on lined paper.

Either way, it’s meaningful!

And if you’re thinking of starting—just do it. Find a penpal, grab a notebook, start writing things down. You’ll be surprised how much beauty lives in the simple act of writing by hand.