This
book records Brencher's journey to find purpose for her life. She had
gotten a job in New York City after college. While working with
preschoolers was rewarding, she still was looking for meaning.
One
day on the commuter train, she saw an old woman wearing laceless
construction boots. Brencher thought to write the woman a letter,
taking out her notebook. She thought back to all the letters her
mother had sent her. Although the woman left the train before the letter
could be delivered, something changed in Brencher. She started
writing letters, picking out people randomly. She wrote with honesty,
filling an entire notebook.
One
day she realized she did not need to keep the letters. She could
write more. She decided she would scatter these love letters all over
New York City. She left them in coat pockets, on benches, propped up
on bathroom sinks.
Her
aim was to encourage, to carry people away from their troubles for a
while. “I think it all comes back to presence,” she writes. “How
nothing feels so wonderful as knowing someone, somewhere, is thinking
of you.” (97) She wrote on her blog that she would be willing to
write letters to those who requested one. She wrote a hundred, and a
second hundred.
She
got a job in her hometown and moved back. Then came an email
from a Wall Street Journal reporter and the possibility of
making this whole thing bigger than herself. She built the website,
MoreLoveLetters.com. Others began writing letters and leaving them in
places Brencher could never reach.
There
are two aspects of this memoir that are so encouraging. One is that
Brencher had a simple idea – write an encouraging love letter and
leave it for another to find. That idea has touched thousands of
lives. Maybe God has an idea for you that will touch other people
too.
The
second is that the idea is so simple, you can can easily get in on
being a blessing to someone else. When you read the stories of letter
recipients Brencher includes in her book, you'll see the impact a
letter can have.
I
enjoyed reading this memoir of one young woman finding what her
purpose in life was, at least for this time and this place. I was
encouraged by the impact one person can make on the lives of many.
Hannah
Brencher is a writer, speaker, and founder of The World Needs More
Love Letters. More than 20,000 people across six continents
participate. She has been featured in many national publications and
was named as one of the White House's “Women Working to Do Good.”
She is a 2010 graduate of Assumption College. You can find out more
at http://hannahbrencher.com/
or www.moreloveletters.com.
Howard
Books, 272 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
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