06 Jul An Abundance of Warm Fuzzies

Last week I sorted through 15 years of correspondence, 1978-1993.  We were cleaning junk out of the warehouse, and I had two file cabinets of stuff from way back. I knew I’d want to keep some of the letters in those files, and that meant going through each one. Took me most of two days.

Those were the years of the monthly United Brethren magazine, which I edited from 1982 until it ceased in 1994 (and worked on as assistant editor before that). There were, as you can imagine, some negative letters. People called me on the carpet for various literary offenses. In some cases, folks subjected themselves to severe contortions in order to scrunch between the lines of things I published, finding meaning which neither I nor the angels and demons knew was there. One person accused me of writing “editorial drivel,” which was actually true more than I’d like to admit.

My favorite was the fellow who, in a light-hearted piece of satire, imagined a slight against gun owners (which I could never locate). That led to conclusions about my patriotism and Christian commitment, which he expressed thusly: “I am very let down that you people are not only un-American, but also against Freedom and apparently pro Communist. Where are the true Americans who used to be pro-Christian freedom-lovers and God-fearing? Please don’t answer this letter, as I am not in the mood for some stupid liberal trying to convince me that living in slavery is good.”

Letters like that stand out. Most of the negative letters, though, made good points. Some, as I look back, were totally valid (though in my defensiveness, I may not have felt that way at the time).

But as I plowed through hundreds of letters, here’s what really struck me: the overwhelming graciousness of UB people.

Put aside the occasional negative letter. Most of the letters I read during those two days contained affirmations, compliments, positive statements, and assorted words of appreciation. The sheer volume of warm fuzzies totally eclipsed the occasional bad-mouthing.

It really humbled me, and renewed my appreciation for all of you. Thanks, UBs, for being good people.