The Power of a Lunch Box Letter

For most of us it has gone too fast. Summer; long warm days, the beach, the lack of year round routine, has once again come and gone so very quickly. I love looking outside and seeing the sun shine. I love going to the park and just for a moment in time pretending there is no where else in the world then right here with my kids. Summer is indeed my favourite season and the very thought that it seldom passes slowly is a bit upsetting.

Yet, there is something that I know my children miss in the summer months, something that is just done more with verbal enforcement. It is part of every month, every week at my house yet; somehow it just happens to be more part of my routine during the school year. It is the one thing I try so hard to do, it is the one thing I hope will change a part of my children forever.

It is a lunch box letter. Take a minute to reflect exactly what I mean.

The bell has rang for lunch. It is noon hour once again. She rushes to get her lunch tucked carefully in her backpack. She opens it, knowing that there will be a sandwich made just the way she likes it. She peeks in to pull out today’s treat; mommy’s homemade chocolate chip cookies. Moving her drink and apple aside, she sees at the bottom something she cherishes each day. It is a lunch box letter. It’s just a short note with lots of love wrapped around it. It reminds her again that she is loved. It wishes her the best day and hopes she does will do well on the test her mom knew she would encounter just after the noon break. It the sentiment that is packed with the four food groups by the mom who makes sure her daughter gets everything she needs.

The lunch box letter for our family is a love note written to my children (and hubby) that I carefully tuck inside their lunch. A reminder in the midst of the day, that they are loved and thought of often. As days passed, I realized something important. This special action needed to be filtered into every aspect of their lives. It soon became a reminder love note when we are separated overnight stating that they are still the world to me. It is the card on the table beside their toast, just because. It is not expensive but yet undoubtedly priceless. It is a part of me, for them, where ever they go and in whatever they do.

We all have ways that encourage those around us. It could be a simple hug, a quick kiss on the cheek or your family traditional high five. I will not argue those memories are great and I will be the first to admit that physical affection should take a huge priority. Yet, in this hurried life I think there is something that we could easily lack everyday. It is something that most of us could slip to the back burner without little thought…..it is the power of written or verbal encouragement.

* These letters help produce security. I remember the day; I dropped my daughter to first grade. I am sure this is what started that first note. She screamed as she was terribly stranger shy. She wanted me and nobody else. It reminded me of the things that must go on in a child’s mind throughout the school day. It must be a frightening thought that often, they are alone in a place that they spend most of the year. So, this is just to offer them the chance to hear familiar words or know that some care could change that thought from fear to comfort, from anxiety to security.

* These letters help produce confidence. I firmly believe that the one thing that can change any fear is remembering words of encouragement. Our world can be changed by knowing there are others in the world routing for us.

* These letters make it easier to smile to the midst of your day. What better thing can you ask for? I will be the first to admit, that there was a short moment in time, my son was not sure of this loving affection. Like any young boy, there is time that mommy’s playground hugs are too embarrassing to share. Even the note, a little paper from mom, played a bit awkward for my boy. It was simply solved with telling him they were put there because of my sheer of love for him and soon he learned that they should cause a smile not blushing cheeks. We have all heard the scripture “A merry heart does good like a medicine”. So, this is a simple way to spread the joy in your family.

* These letters give them a lifetime of the encouragement every child needs. You may think that I really am placing a lot of emphasis on one little piece of paper. Yet, in fact, it is about putting attention on the need to make encouragement a habit. These little notes provided us with an opportunity to give our child a lifetime of edification. Words are not magic, I agree. They do, however, provide us with the much need reminder that we are valued and important to others.

* These letters remind them no matter where they are that they are loved. The most important thing that each letter contains is a simple “I love you”. Even at the youngest age, I could provide those words or a small diagram to indicate just how important my love for them is. It is the direct part of the note that indicates exactly how I feel in my hurried day. It is the joint purpose of every letter.

There were times I wondered if my lunch box letters were as valued as I thought they are. I wondered if they were indeed a vital part of my child’s day. Or were they starting to out grow the need for some “mommy love” in the middle of the day. I was not sure until I opened the door to my daughter's room to see what exactly she needed that new bulletin board for. She did not have “rock star” posters or sports banners. I found no magazine clippings from her favourite magazine. There I saw, to my amazement, every letter I have ever given to her. I was astonished to see, even the letters that I wrote on scrap paper with a broken crayon, had found a special place in her heart.



~ Gwen Jewell fulfilled her life long dream by being a mom of three children, one child through the love-filled journey of adoption. She has been blessed to be a foster mother to many special needs teenagers who have given her experiences of great value. When she is not doing a load of laundry, supervising Sunday School, or cheering from the sidelines, she finds a few moments for her passion to write.



More ways to encourage your family:

10 Ways to say "I love you"

Creative ideas for quality time together

Reading tips for families