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Today marks five years of marriage for my brother Ryan and his wife Mandy. There is a special bond that you feel when you witness a couple standing vulnerably in front of you expressing their love for each other. It’s even stronger when you are the person officiating the ceremony – which was the case for their wedding. I had never officiated a wedding, but was honored to have such a special role in their ceremony.

I’m heading over to their house this evening and letting them take a rare night out for themselves while I watch my beautiful niece Jacqueline. I hope they have a wonderful evening.

Happy anniversary Mandy and Ryan, I love you both very much.

Mandy & Ryan,

Five years ago today you stood before me and shared your vows with each other – promising to be a faithful partner, love one another unconditionally, support each other in your goals, honor and respect one another, laugh and cry together, and cherish each other for the rest of your lives.

I’ve got to work on my penmanship!

My wish for you today is that these vows continue to grow stronger and that you enjoy this occasion by celebrating the wonderful journey of the past five years and looking ahead to the dreams you will share tomorrow.

I love you both very much,
Reed

Instead of sharing my own letters on Sundays, I’ve decided to do something different. Each Sunday I will share someone else’s letter that I think you’ll find interesting or I’ll catch you up on the responses that I receive back from the people I’m writing to!

Cade Pope with his autographed Panthers helmet.

I think it’s only appropriate today to share a story that made news this week. Cade Pope, a 12-year-old boy from Oklahoma, wrote all 32 NFL teams asking them why he should become a fan of their team. Three weeks later, he got a response from Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. Pretty cool!

Cade used to be a St. Louis Rams fan, but got frustrated after their lackluster performances. “I used to like the Rams – but it just hurt too much.” That’s hilarious. Well, good for you for challenging the the teams to make their arguments for your allegiance. You’re my hero of the week!

I think the Panthers just got a fan for life!

Cade Pope’s letter to the Carolina Panthers with owner Jerry Richardson’s response below. Image courtesy of The Washington Post.

Owner Jerry Richardson’s note accompanied a Panthers helmet signed by middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Sending a handwritten letter is becoming such an anomaly. It’s disappearing. My mom is the only one who still writes me letters. And there’s something visceral about opening a letter – I see her on the page. I see her in her handwriting.- Steve Carell

Letter-writing is a lost art – especially handwritten letters. I haven’t penned a handwritten letter to a friend in years. It’s all email or the occasional letter that is neatly formatted in Word and printed on a laser printer now. And while there is tremendous value in digital letters, there is something alluring about how handwriting looks on paper. And it’s just as much about the paper as it is the words and the penmanship.

Like Steve Carell, I can identify my mother’s handwritting easily. Mine, not so much. I mean, mine is not consistent enough to be identifiable. And on top of that, it’s terribly illegible.

So my challenge to myself, and to any of you who want to join me, is to start writing more real letters. Get a decent pen that moves across the paper well. Pay attention to the pen strokes, spacing and personality of your letters. Who will you write? I’m making my list of 365 people to write this year. Have a good idea of someone interesting that I should reach out to?  Drop me a note – handwritten is preferred, but I accept emails as well!