Categories
Friends Personal

Writing “Letters” to a Friend


Photo © Shay Thomason, 2009

Over the past few months I’ve begun a correspondence with a friend from college over email that is highly irregular during our times, but something I’ve really enjoyed. What we’re doing may come as a shock to many in our culture, but we’re writing letters to each other. Some looking to judge me are already saying to themselves “oh come on! Letters over email? Lame!” But these “letters”, though delivered electronically, carry more weight to me than any other email I receive. The main reason: they have substance.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that email is horrible or doesn’t serve a purpose, or whatever — that would be wrong. Quick messages to transfer information will always have it’s place. Twitter, instant messaging, Facebook wall-posts, etc. have their place too. But what I’m finding is that as I’ve forced myself to wait to respond to these letters and really write from my heart, I’m getting a lot back from the experience. That’s the trick. We don’t write every day. In fact, we have actually let weeks go by without responding. It’s been a fun way to keep up with a friend that’s over a thousand miles away, but also show him that I’m willing to take the time and write him. I guess those are probably the key ingredients to building a relationship with someone: time and substance. Without both you’ll probably never see any of your relationships grow.

I think you should try it. All it takes is a commitment from another friend that you may not have regular contact with, but want to continue to build a relationship. Take the time to write them about your normal life. What you’re doing at work, or how you’re involved in your church. Tell them about your spouse or your dog, or your love for cars. But make sure you keep it simple as if you were writing with pen. Don’t over communicate, but summarize when the details don’t really need to be explained. Start each letter with “Dear ______” and end it with “Sincerely,” or another appropriate ending. I think it’ll be a rewarding time for you and I can guarantee that both you and your friend will appreciate each other more through the process.

Categories
Family Friends Personal Photography

My Hope On Saturday

Spent some time on Saturday with some of my favorite people. What did you do?

On a Saturday Pt. 1

The Sun Sets in California

Smile

Forever The Sickest Kids

Consumerism

Abe Pt. 1

Abe Pt. 1

Thinking Family

Rap and Religion

On a Saturday Pt. 2

Categories
Friends Personal Photography

These Friends of Mine

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All photography is © Shay Thomason. Any unauthorized use without the sole permission of the photographer is strictly prohibited.

Categories
Friends Personal Photography

Family Time

Had the opportunity to photograph a bunch of my friends over the weekend. Here’s one… many more to come. I’m actually hoping to put together a big post of a ton of photos, but we’ll see if time allows. There were 5 shoots in all — one of those was a super engagement session that I can’t wait to share. Until then…

Family

Categories
Family Friends Personal Photography

Some Things You Missed

Here’s a few things you’ve missed:

That day I made my her laugh
We Laughed

That one really late night
A Shay in the Night

That place we used to live
Security Detail

That day we moved
We Moved

That day I finally fit
Tons of Leg Room

That time we were small
Just for Fun

That other time we were small
Sippy

The day we played with friends
Big Man, Big Remote

That day we got away
"Backyard"

That night we just relaxed
Popcorn

That day at the beach
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That day we picked a winner (or two)
Orange You Cute