Writing Love Notes

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

What is a Love Note?

"Love Notes" are Agape love letters that you write and send to a stranger. We share our experience in realizing Agape love, old beliefs and realizations to share hope and encouragement, all in complete anonymity.

We never "preach" or lecture, but rather write plainly about our personal experience with Agape Love and how we have experienced it. 

A "Love Note" can be written as a one-time event or you can write one per day for a period of days; "Thirty Love Notes in Thirty Days", for example.

Recipients may be selected completely at random, such as choosing someone from a phone book. It is also okay to pick people from an organization, company, club or other group so long as you are not acquainted with the recipient, you do not know them, their lifestyle, beliefs, etc. and they do not know you.

"Love Notes" are important and can touch someone's heart; although recipients are selected at random, we must be confident that receiving a "Love Note" will not be by chance.


Tips and Ideas for writing

A few days into the "30 Love Notes in 30 Days" project, I started getting questions about how to start a "Love Note", what to actually say and how to pick the recipient.  I think I covered the basics below, but if you have other questions or would like to make a suggestion, please drop me a note on the Feedback Page.

How to start

I'm sure there are many good ways but this is one approach that has worked for me.  I tell the reader what they are going to be reading, a "Love Note". I tell them why I am writing and how they were chosen. Here is an example you can borrow:

Dear Friend, 
I have written you a letter I call a "Love Note". You're getting this "Love Note" because of a commitment I made to be better at Love, learn more about Love, help other people hopefully see it and learn about its' availability to them through me; I will write and send a letter like this to a different person each day for thirty days. It is important for me to stay focused on my experience with Love, not give advice, direction or suggestions as I write. So my "Love Notes" will always go to someone I have never met and know nothing about, and I chose you at random to get this note. Although we are strangers, I am hopeful that what I write will somehow have meaning to you.....


Picking the Recipient... 

I began by choosing a US state and then a few common last names.  I did an internet search for White Pages for that state and looked up the last names. I mailed the "Love Note".  I made the return address "Columbus, Ohio" and my zip code just for fun since I sent it as far across the country as I could.  

A sidebar... there were many friends with wonderful ideas, such as sending "Love Notes" to those in the military, in extended care facilities, hospitals and even prisons.  After several hours, and then listening to the the book of Luke 5-8 this morning, two things came to me; first, we must do Love without expecting anything in return and without judgement (positive or negative), and next, if we know we are sending a "Love Note" to someone we view as a hero, misfortunate, unhealthy, in "need" or even a criminal, it could very likely influence what we would write about. Moreover, it would be very easy to take pride in "doing a good deed" by who we write, either in doing something nice to cheer someone we feel "deserves" it or by taking mercy by doing a "good deed" for some "poor lost soul". Sadly, if that were to happen, our pride would be our only reward.  And even above that, we enter into these "LLG" projects to do Love for Love's sake; real Love will not spur spiritual pride. So, in this spirit, total and complete anonymity, other than a name and address to mail the letter to, has to be the rule of thumb.  In circumstances like this, when it becomes clear I need to switch gears- that I was wrong, I will do my best to share the thought process and nudging that changed my thinking so we can all benefit together. Mistakes really are opportunities to grow!

On one occasion I was running errands and dropped a "Love Note" in a person's home mailbox. It met the criteria, but wasn't the most creative idea.  In retrospect, I chose a sort of broken down house... not a good idea because this lead me to "feeling sorry" for the owner of the house, which in the end created a feeling of pride in doing this "good deed". Well, in that case I got my reward, a firm pat on the back from my biggest fan, me. It's not a bad thing I did, but that was my only reward (pat, pat, pat). "Good deeds" are terrific and necessary, but in this exercise my desire is to know Love at a higher level, and my education will come in obedience to it.  I got off track in that case. I plan to utilize the White Pages more often because it does provide the ability to write without judgement of any kind. I know more ideas will come, but whatever you do:
    • You should not be acquainted with the individual or know anything about them except the address the "Love Note" is being sent to
    • The recipient should not know who sent them the "Love Note"
    • Remember that even though recipients are selected at random, it is not by chance
What to say in your "Love Note".... 

Well, that is a little tougher.  I will add a few more sample love notes to the Love Notes to Read page to read, but overall, you have to just share your personal experience. Your experience is unique and important, and there is someone in this world that only your view can touch. If you are drawing a blank, try writing the answers to these questions about Love in your "Love Note": 
    • What is the hardest thing about "doing" Love for you? 
    • How did you first experience Agape Love?
    • Who was your most influential role model in "doing" Love?
    • When is it most challenging to "do" Love?
    • Why do you keep trying if "doing" Love is hard? 
    • What does it mean to "do" Love?
    • What kinds of things do you "do"?
    • Why "do" Love when so many people  are bad?
    • What are you learning by focusing on Love? About God? About yourself? 

And, if you have been writing "Love Notes" and feel comfortable with sharing, please click
Submit your "Love Note" to share with others . Offer up as many as you feel comfortable with.

Wikipedia defines "Agape" as "love", such as in the term s'agapo (Σ'αγαπώ), which means "I love you." In Ancient Greek, it often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of "true love" rather than the attraction suggested by "eros." Agape is used in the biblical passage known as the "love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13, and is described there and throughout the New Testament as sacrificial love. Agape is also used in ancient texts to denote feelings for one's children and the feelings for a spouse, and it was also used to refer to a love feast. It can also be described as the feeling of being content or holding one in high regard. Agape was used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God. (Wikipedia).