Keeping Up With My Pen Pal

     Today was my day to send another letter (actually, e-mail) to my adopted soldier in Afghanistan.  I actually had a nice note from him this morning.  Only 45 days left till the replacements arrive for his unit, so he's really starting to count the days till he comes home.  He'll be arriving through Ft. Dix, so I might even get a chance to meet him when he's there.  

     I was talking with a friend the other night who told me that she has a pen pal (in England) that she befriended when she was a young teenager, some 45 years ago!  And they've been great friends since.  For me, it's been so fascinating to see how the relationship I have with "my soldier" has developed over these months.  I remember blogging about the frustration I felt when I hadn't yet heard back from him, as if I was having a one-way conversation.  Since we've started mostly communicating by e-mail though, the relationship has blossomed as we've been able to "talk" so much more frequently.  It's strange to think that he was randomly "assigned" to me when I volunteered to adopt a soldier through Soldiers' Angels and now, months later, we've fast become friends.  

     I suppose in some ways, it's a reminder that we're all pretty similar.  Despite our outward differences, at a deeply human level, most people have the same hopes and dreams, joys and fears.  I think it's what enables us to connect with each other, even when we begin as strangers.  My growing relationship with a soldier serving overseas has definitely been one of my most rewarding events of the year.

Writing to Children Across the Sea

     I have another great website to share with you.  This one also comes courtesy of my fellow blogger Eric Winger.  It's called Post Pals and it allows you to connect and become pen pals with seriously ill children.  Let me explain more about it and how I used it today.

     The site was started by two young women in England who have struggled with serious, debilitating illness for many years.  Recognizing how isolating it can be when you're homebound, and seeing how much it meant to receive mail from the outside world, they began this program to facilitate other sick children getting lots of mail.  When you go on the site, you can see pictures and read the stories of the children.  Then you can select one or more to write letters or e-mails to.  For privacy and safety, the addresses are forwarding ones, not the actual addresses of the children.  It's amazing to read the stories and also to read accounts of how much it means to them to receive mail.

     I selected one particular 6-year old boy who suffers from a serious case of leukemia.  Since there was a way to e-mail, I figured I'd do that first since he would receive my message so much faster that way.  I sent him off a nice message introducing myself, telling him a little about my family, and asking him some questions.  The site gives lots of information about his interests so it was easy to make relevant conversation.

     I've said it before, but I continue to be amazed at the power of the internet to allow people to connect with, help, and support each other in ways that would otherwise be impossible.  What a great way to share kindness.

     As a follow-up to a similar post from a few days ago (Connecting Helpers Across the Globe), I heard back from the kindergarten teacher for whom I had created the flashcards with sound.  She was so excited to get them and was eager to share them with her students.  It's amazing to think that I'll probably never meet her, and yet I was able to help her out in a very practical and meaningful way.