When Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” in 1839, he knew the power the pen had to write words as dangerous as a weapon or as healing as a hug. I pray my pen’s power will always side with the latter.
For me, the individual pen itself holds an interesting power. Ask my husband about my love affair with pens. He discovered early in his job for an office products company that bringing me a new pen gets him bigger kisses than a whole bouquet of roses! And he does it often—from pens promoting businesses for which he services copiers to a whole pack he somehow gets Santa to leave in my stocking every year. Black ones, green ones, red ones. Fine tips, ball points, gels. Even a whole box of green Sharpie markers to use when making posters or correcting papers.
My favorite pens always write in fine point, black ink. I love the feel of its flow across a blank journal page. It glides with the precision and artistry of a figure skater on a Zamboni-smoothed ice rink. I keep a stock of the refills for these pens handy so I never have to lose the beauty I find in their tips.
A few years ago, our youngest daughter, Faith, bought a very special pen as a gift for me. The barrel hewn from cherry wood has a cross etched into it. This pen rises above others because of the words engraved on it: “Gotta have FAITH!” This phrase hits a sensitive chord in my h
eart, speaking of my faith in Jesus as well as spelling my daughter’s name.
Last year, I discovered a new use for my pens, one I enjoyed long ago through years of writing to my pen pal, and now love a new twist on it—letter writing! The idea sprang from the movie The Letter Writer, released in 2012, in which one of the main characters writes notes to people he doesn’t know, letters to lift their spirits, given randomly as he feels led. He tells his young protégé, “Within every human being, there’s a God-given ability that, if you find it and nurture it, you’ll be able to bless the lives of others.”
Mine lets me use the power of my pen to heal, to help, to “bless” those He leads me to. A handwritten note left on a windshield in a store parking lot; another given to an unsuspecting person putting groceries in her car. What a powerful tool my pen can be!
This is for you, Aunt Connie! With love.
*** Do you use a special pen to write journal entries or grocery lists? Do you still handwrite letters, with today’s media-driven messages so quick to send and receive? Tell us about the pens in your past and/or present! To leave your story, click on the words beside the date under the title of this post. Then, scroll to the bottom of the comment section to find the box with the heading, “Leave a reply.” Thank you for sharing!
***Join me next week for a story about a special anniversary, since our 39th anniversary will come at the end of that week!
legaciesletloose 
Me too! I love pens! Some I don’t use b/c they don’t feel right in my hand. Or I don’t like the way the ink flows. Yep. I understand.
xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a fine point, green ink pen which is delightful since my favorite color is green. Of course, I had to find just the right journal to write in with it, one with a bluebird and lots of green plants with flowers on the front! Thanks for sharing, Julie! Blessings!
LikeLike
I have a whole drawer full of pens, a mug of pens on my nightstand, a bag of pens I carry with me, (gel, fine point, broad tip, felt tip, ballpoint, fountain, & highlighters) I don’t go anywhere without at least two pens.
I also love writing letters and journaling, this is due in part to you teaching Writers Club when I was in Middle/High School.
I still prefer the medium of pen and paper, and the value of a handwritten note is beyond the words, its the thought, time, energy, and love that go into producing that note 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, Lydia! How wonderful to hear from you! And your comment about writers club is dear to my heart. Thank you. Your mention of a fountain pen made me smile. For Faith’s wedding invitations, we found out you can’t “print” in white (absurd! LOL!), so we decided I would use calligraphy to write the words on the front. However, you also cannot buy a calligraphy-style gel or other pen in white, nor buy white ink for my refillable calligraphy pen. So we did the next best thing and bought a dip pen and a bottle of white ink. I was sure I could learn how to use it in a week, the length of time between then and when we wanted to mail the invites. Oh my! What a disaster! About a hundred YouTube videos and fifty wasted sheets of navy blue paper later, I gave up! We bought white gel pens and I did them calligraphy style without the benefit of the pretty flourishes. It worked but was not what we wanted. Someone needs to invent a way to print in white. That’s what started it all! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! Blessings!
LikeLike
Oh Cathy, I loved that movie The Letter Writer! It made me want to do the same thing he did in the movie, but I never did. Still I’ve noticed that of all the writing I’ve done, whether a story, or devotional, or journal entry, the one kind of writing that God seems to use more than any other is my letters, but this is about pens rather than letters so let me switch gears! One pen I had forgotten about until just now is one my great-grandpa gave me. It was white or cream-colored more like. It had some pretty sparkles on it. It was the kind you click on the end to make it work, and the best part was — the ink was gold! I’ve never seen another like it before or since. I don’t think I have it anymore. but it’s a sweet memory. Gr-grandpa died when I was 8 so I don’t have many memories of him. I remember his dalmatian Tinkerbell, and the time he accidentally slammed his hand in the car door and we were driving him to the hospital. I was scared that he’d lost his hand. I remember going to see him at home with my parents and brothers when he was very sick and near the end of his life. My brother brought his toy doctor’s bag and I my white nurse’s bag. But until reading your blog, I had completely forgotten about that gold pen! Wow, I’m a little stunned right now thinking of it. Isn’t it neat that all these 50 years later, here I sit remembering Great-grandpa’s golden pen, typing this at his old desk he used when he worked at Studebaker’s which he was able to keep when he retired. He wrote a story at this desk which I now have. It’s moving to me to see how things are connected. Thanks for your blog, Cathy. I love how the words you choose inspire so many thoughts and memories!
— Leafy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, Julie, what a sweet memory! I’m so glad my little attempt to leave legacies through story is touching you with happy memories. And what a wonderful pen that must have been! Writing in gold ink…wow. I’d have loved it, too! And to also have his desk, what a treasure. I’m glad you know The Letter Writer and enjoyed it, too. I’ve done several notes like the ones he did, with varying results. I’ve never heard from anyone afterward, of course, since they are anonymous, but giving them has been interesting. Several people actually refused to take it because they didn’t know me. I tried to explain it was just a note of encouragement, but they seemed wary. How sad. Still, I get great satisfaction out of writing them and giving them to various people. I just bought a new pack of notecards to use with little birds on them. Maybe we should start a program called “Write a Letter, Leave a Blessing!” See if we can get some people interested in doing a ministry like this in their communities! Blessings for a wonderful week!
LikeLike