A big “thank you” to Ben from Co. Wexford!

Ben’s letter addressed to me at Lilac Letters arrived on a day so wet it was of Monsoon proportions. It was a ray of sunshine in a little brown envelope and it brought the greatest pleasure to get to know for a while, a person with whom Carol’s story had made a connection.

I firmly believe that each and every letter placed at a carefully chosen location is genuinely intended for the person who finds it or someone they might pass it on to.

Ben had found a lilac letter in Rathdrum by a stream in the Parnell Memorial Park. If you live in the heart of Wicklow near the Vale of Avoca, then you’ll know how tranquil this lovely little park is. On the day I placed the letter there, the sun and rain were pretty evenly matched. It was one of those days that if you mingle with the tourists and have a fresh look around, you can imagine yourself as one of them for a while.

A number of days after my visit Ben found himself in Rathdrum with time to spare. It was raining heavily but his hardy dog needed to stretch his legs (rain or no rain) and so he took him for a run around the park. He noticed a soggy bundle of lilac paper disintegrating in the rain and something compelled him to pick it up. I got such a laugh when I read that he had to dry off the paper on his car heater all the way home – so much for my lovingly chosen lilac vellum and matching paper-lined envelope!

Ben said he’d prefer not to have his letter re printed here on the web site but had no problem with the circumstances of his finding it being recounted. I’m happy to say that the letter did bring to mind for him, friends he had not heard of or thought of in a long time and that’s all it needed to do. It can do no harm spending a few moments remembering friends and acquaintances who touched our lives however briefly. Even a thought or a memory is a reconnection. One day a thought can lead to a word and a word to a letter ………..and who knows where that can lead.

Some of you may find and read a lilac letter and maybe it’s even prompted you to purchase some nice writing paper and envelopes of your own (I don’t mind if you choose lilac). Others may have passed it on to someone else for whom it likewise affected. I’d love to know. Just a few words outlining the circumstances of finding the letter would be sufficient. From the few pages Ben sent by post I detected he was a warm hearted “youngish” (his words) man who
thoughtfully made the time to complete the circle.

Looking forward to hearing your story,

Kate.

P.S.

Many years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, Carol and I used to go driving through the Vale of Avoca in my Dad’s car which I would borrow. A VW Beetle, she called it “The Blister Beetle”. Why it was St. Patrick’s Day I’ve no idea but it began a tradition my family carry on to this day. In a different make and model of course and not nearly as imaginative a name!

Thank you for finding your way to the “Lilac Letters” website.  I’ve been hoping to hear from you. Whether my Lilac Letter found its way to you or whether you stumbled across this page, you are so very welcome.

Let me tell you something of  the story of Lilac Letters.

I had a friend.  Her name was Carol. We knew each other inside out.  We knew the good, the bad and the ugly.  We loved each other dearly and we fell out spectacularly, regularly.  We’d started school together and her house was just around the corner from mine.

When Carol married she went to live abroad and our busy lives took over.  Long before the birth of email or text, we kept in touch by letter.  How I loved to see her handwriting on the little envelope lying in the hallway.

Over the years we dipped in and out of each others lives but somehow we drifted out of the habit of keeping in touch and many years went by.  One night when visiting my parents house, my Mum pointed to an ancient handbag.  She had been clearing out a wardrobe in my old bedroom and found it.  I was delighted to discover that it was filled with dozens of letters from friends I had known through my youth – but mostly letters from Carol.

That night I wrote my dear friend a letter.  What I didn’t know then was how timely that reconnection would be. Carol had been ill.  She and Kylie Minogue had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer around the same time and Carol felt she was in good company. We stayed in touch by phone and wrote letters and little cards but mostly sent emails.  Short ones  and long ones and funny ones and furious ones, recipes and book reviews – each little message, whether receiving or giving was a little parcel of words waiting to delight, to make a connection.

Then so fast it took our breath away, she was gone.   No more words.

The Lilac Letters are my way of keeping the spirit of our friendship alive.  I believe it was no accident that the old handbag of letters was waiting for me that night.  I believe it was a nudge from the Universe to contact my friend so that we could hold each others hand again for a while.

If you came across a lilac envelope addressed “FOR YOU” did the story of how it came to be, on the lilac pages within,  encourage you to reflect and consider making a reconnection with someone you had lost touch with?  Someone you have ignored too long?

Tell me your story. When you reply, I’ll print my letter and your response.

If you came across this website today, then maybe it was no accident either.  Has the Universe ever given you a nudge you were glad you paid attention to?  I’d like to hear your story too.

Yours sincerely,

Kate.