Mail

I love sending mail. I think even more than receiving it; I love sending it. I love the idea that this thing that I’ve held in my hand is going to travel across the country and be in the hands of someone else I care about. I appreciate email, phone calls, text messages, etc., for their speed and convenience, but there’s just something about tactileness of mail.

I work in the Advancement Office at the seminary, and last weekend I sent out a mailing. There’s a fundraising event for a scholarship coming up, so I sent a letter to some of the donors inviting them to contribute. As I was folding the letters and placing them in the envelopes, I kept thinking about how this letter in my hands would soon travel to some person whose gifts had made it possible for me to be here. My tuition does not nearly cover what it costs to be here, these people paid for my seminary education. And after three years working in the Advancement Office, I recognized a lot of the names. I thought about the congregations they were serving, or how their kids were doing, or how they were enjoying their retirement. I thought about how they had gotten involved with LSTC, if I knew, and what their interests in the seminary were. I hope that when they are opening these appeal letters, whether they give to this particular campaign or not, they will know that we are grateful for them; grateful that we are here because of their generosity, learning about how to be good pastors, lay leaders, and theologians. I hope that somehow, my appreciation carries through the mail.