The Love Letters Method
One story opens the door to another.
Every Love Letter begins with something ordinary: an object, a place, a person, a sound, a ritual, or a moment from my life.
But the story isn't really about me.
As you read, listen, or watch, something in my story may remind you of something from yours. My driveway becomes your driveway. A story about my father brings back something your father used to do. An object you haven't seen in decades suddenly opens a room you haven't visited in years.
That's the Love Letters Method.
My stories are simply the keys.
What they unlock belongs to you.
One Method. Many Ways to Use It.
For Yourself and the People You Love
Start with a Love Letter and see what comes back.
You might simply sit with the memory for a while. You might write it down, tell the story to someone you love, or record it so it isn't lost.
Then turn the process around.
Ask a parent about something from their childhood. Ask your partner about a place they once loved. Ask an old friend what they remember about something you experienced together.
You may discover stories you've never heard from people you've known your entire life.
You don't need to be grieving, growing older, or facing a crisis to do any of this.
Sometimes remembering is worthwhile simply because a life is worth noticing.
For Groups and Organizations
The same simple process can open conversations between people who may otherwise have very little reason to tell one another their stories.
The Love Letters Method can be used in senior communities, memory cafés, libraries, churches, community organizations, educational settings, businesses, support groups, and other gathering places.
The goal is never to test someone's memory, force disclosure, or tell anyone what their memories mean.
The goal is to create an invitation.
One story opens the door to another.
And sometimes an entire room begins remembering together.
Bring the Love Letters Method to Your Group
The personal practice can be remarkably simple.
For facilitated groups, we've done considerably more of the work for you.
Many Love Letters are accompanied by an optional Workshop in a Box that turns a single story into a complete facilitated experience.
Workshops can include ready-made discussion prompts, sensory anchors, participant activities, facilitator guidance, supporting materials, and optional tools for organizations that want a more structured program.
The Love Letters themselves are freely available for everyone to read, watch, and listen to.
Use them privately. Share them with your family or friends. Use them to begin a conversation. Bring them into a group and see where they lead.
The stories remain open to everyone.
For those who want more structure, the workshops, books, talks, webinars, and other resources offer ways to learn the Method more deeply and bring it to others.
Your support also helps make it possible for Love Letters to continue growing while keeping the stories themselves freely available.
See the Method in Action
You don't have to take my word for it.
The complete Uncle Tommy Workshop in a Box is available free.
Explore the Love Letter, prompts, facilitator materials, activities, and supporting resources and see exactly how a single personal story can become the beginning of many others.
Want to Go Deeper?
A Field Guide to Forgotten Things
A Field Guide to Forgotten Things explores the philosophy and practice behind the Love Letters Method in greater depth.
It was created for people who want to move beyond simply experiencing the Love Letters and learn how to use ordinary memories deliberately: to invite stories, create meaningful conversations, preserve memories, and facilitate the process with others.
The Field Guide includes practical guidance for individuals, families, facilitators, libraries, senior communities, and organizations interested in putting the Method to work.
