All in Advent Window 20! – Be That Dog!

December 20 and time to look far, open your circle and be someone’s star. There are many who may never hear from a friendso today’s window solves that in a way that is penned.

There are many people for whom a pen pal would be a very special and lasting kindness. Loneliness is a terrible thing for someone to suffer and sometimes it goes completely unnoticed, but for this very special Advent window you can do something about that. You can search for a pen pal organization to join, or you can start with some of our suggestions!

In the UK the care home group, Your Health, launched Postcards of Kindness inviting people to write postcards to their residents. Now even more care homes and hospices have joined the initiative and it has become a major national campaign with the support of Age UK. Or you could join Post Pals and send lovely cards or letters to sick children in hospitals around the UK. And they also include animal pen pals because some of these kids are just too sick for visits from the hospital therapy animals and they really miss their own pets as well. And in the US they have a whole animal pen pal charity! There is also the excellent Pen Pals for Seniors in the US, with pen pals all around the world. When the founder, Marlene Brooks, received a letter from her neighbor she knew she had to do something. Her neighbor wrote, “Would you consider becoming my friend? I’m 90 years old – live alone and all my friends have passed away. I am so lonesome and scared.” So Marlene did something, and you can do something too.

These are just a few examples, but there are so many more wonderful pen pal initiatives going around the world. And of course, through letters, you can take part in any of these no matter where in the world you live. Letters are pieces of communication that are literally exchanged and maybe even saved and treasured. Like a friend should be. And what could be friendlier than a handwritten letter?

And so, as you open today’s window and post your kindnesses out into the world, don’t forget to write us as well and tell us all about your Advent experiences in all the usual ways – Facebook, TwitterInstagram, email – after all, the pen really is mightier than the sword.

All in Adventist! Are you in? Because we are all in! 💖

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