Above is a “MaryLetter.” My friend Mary, a widow, lives two states north, about 8 hours by car. I used to visit her every week before I moved to Tennessee. I can’t do that anymore, but I do send her a weekly letter, with some simple art on the envelope.

I tell her what I have been doing. Sometimes I slip in newspaper clippings. Where I live, we have a weekly newspaper, and it’s “down home.” It has interesting local news and stories.

This picture makes me cold to look at it. It depicts the climate I moved from. In fact, the day I moved to Tennessee, there was a bunch of snow on the ground and snow was falling. I took one last photo of my house as I drove away and headed to a warmer place.

It may be cold outside, yet a personal letter can be packed with warmth for the heart.