Waste More Paper

I received the sweetest handwritten note from a friend in the mail today. A letter. In my mailbox. Written on real paper. With real ink. And really messy penmanship. Who would have thought the simple combination of paper and ink could become such a treasure?

I’m all for leaving a smaller footprint, but today I would like you to consider shifting your modern, paperless mindset to a more paper-full way of relating. The handwritten note is on the brink of extinction. What could happen if you wastefully wrote a note or two to brighten someone’s day? Below are my favorite ways to waste more paper:

Love Notes

I love it when my husband, Tim, takes a moment out of his day to send me a quick text to tell me he’s thinking about me, but I love it when we writes those same messages to me on paper. Some of his letters are long, others are short, but all are special. I keep all of them stored neatly in a box (along with the torn corner of spiral notebook paper he used to give me his phone number when we first met). This leads me to ask the question, who needs a love note from me? My husband? My kids? My friends? My parents? My kids’ teachers? My neighbors?

Sticky Notes

Tim and I should buy stock in sticky notes. We use them to hide sweet messages to each other, but we also use them to put a message in our kids’ lunches every day. Our oldest daughter is in 9th grade, and she still looks forward to reading her lunch note. Some of our recent offerings include: “Boys are poisonous,” “Don’t be a fart face,” and, “I love you all the 92s in the world.”

Thank You Notes

Instead of only writing thank you notes for casseroles, what would happen if you wrote a thank you note to your spouse or kids thanking them for who they are in your life? Families who trade in complaints for gratitude experience joy, closeness, fun, and love in ways all the grumpy, fart-face families don’t.

Don’t let the only handwritten note you write for your family be a to-do list. Share your heart often with the people you love, and, sometimes, use paper.

Tasha Levert, Ph.D., is a licensed professional counselor in New Orleans who provides face-to-face and online care. She is a conference speaker, worship leader and the author of Stories of Hope for the Sleep Deprived. Tasha and her husband Tim (Pastor with Students at the Vineyard Church of New Orleans) have three beautiful daughters and a lazy schnauzer named Gumbo. To find out more about Tasha or her practice go to
tashalevert.comorbroomtreecounseling.com.