The Holy Motherload

Why couldn't I have been in Atlantic City, strolling along the ocean side, taking a break from sinful driven casino fun and have spotted the holy Mother load of messages in a plastic sack??? Good Gawd, some people have all the luck.

Article found here:Letters to God Found Dumped in Water - AOL News

Someday......someday I will find a message in a bottle, a scrap piece of paper, a note written on a napkin stuck in a Coke Bottle, it's a mathematical destiny. I spend an enormous amount of time on waterways. Then again, I probably stand an equal chance of finding a dead body during my flyfishing escapades too. It's occurred to me, that it's always a fisherman in the news who finds the corpses in the water. Personally, I'm holding out for the message in a bottle, I could do without the frightening death discovery.

I read the article with deep interest of course. Then I made the investigation move of clicking the message board to see what people had to say about these letters to God, Alter, and the Pastor they were addressed to. What surprised me the most was the horrible words about the man who found the letters, and placed them for sell on Ebay, which he later retracted.  Here are some examples of what I found.

"The people who wrote those letters wrote their private thoughts TO THEIR PRIVATE GOD - NOT to the pastor, NOT to AOL, and NOT FOR US TO READ. Publishing this story is akin to raping their privacy in my opinion."

"He NEVER even opened his mail!  He must have been one sorry excuse for a Pastor."

"Those letters were "prayers."  They were heard the moment they were poured from the heart; if they were sincere prayers they were heard.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God....It may even be part of His plan to bring them forth." ( I really liked this person thought process)

"This guy must really be a peice of crap. Selling someones hopes and dreams on ebay. I"ve heard it all now "

"The moral thing to do with these letters is have aceremony of prayer for the individuals who sought God in this manner.  It sounds alot like a type of confession between these individuals and God which should remain sacred.  After the prayer service these letters should be burned as an offering to God for these writers.  Despite anyone's faith these letters are like a personal diary and some bear the inner pains of humanity.  I pray for these authors and their intentions."

"I think God should get a good attorney and sue the bad bad person who did this.  I bet God can afford good attorneys."


There's over 1400 posts in regard to this discovery and the destiny of the letters. The thing is, I don't see that it was an atrocious example of a Pastor to not read those letters. I certainly don't think anyone should hunt down the writers and return the letters and I honestly don't think any harm will come by finding the letters.

These letters are the personal prayers, dreams, desires, and hopes of humans abound. Do I think they should be published for our rubber neck curiosity, not really. But I don't think the prayers of these people, their words and desires, have been diminished by the discovery of their letters.

Isn't a prayer but the affirmation of a persons needs? Whether it's said kneeling before your bed, at an alter, in church, on a letter, in our minds, or said out loud. In my humble opinion, a prayer is but influencing the mind to focus in a certain direction.

Whether it is sending a positive influence to someone in need, or focusing my attention on things that need changed in my life. I believe there is immense power in prayer, but do not rely or place credit of change to another (pick your avatar) , I give the power of affirmation <prayer> to myself.

Prayer is a forward motion. Placing our desires in writing is a concrete form of forward motion. The writers of those letters were able to assert their desires and send them away to someone they trusted.

This isn't a bad thing. Does it matter if he read them? I suppose it depends on the individual. If a person believes their desires, hopes, needs rest in the hands of another person, then I imagine they feel neglected. Ifthe person felt better, more focused and empowered by their own forward motion, then I wager they will not be let down to discover their letter may not have been read.

Of course, one of the main furors over the found letters is privacy. Since I hold my privacy on a priceless level, I can understand the sentiment. However, one cannot assume anything written in solid form will remain private, ever. I'm of the opinion that if you don't want anyone in the world to know about something, for godsakes don't write it down. 

Basic writing 101, Lesson #1, if you write it, it will be read, and you cannot control who will possibly read it. If I died today, who knows, my writing could end up on Ebay, I would hope it wouldn't.........but it could happen and if that possibility didn't settle well with me, then I would need to burn it all, bonfire style.

Speaking of Ebay. After reading the article I did a quick search and to my personal delights I found letters for sale, old diary's, and other pieces of history, thoughts, peoples handwritten words for sale there! I am a voyeur of humanity and for me this was a fantastic discovery. Just yesterday I commented to Kate over at  An Analysis of Life  that I have desperately searched for books in diary form. My new discovery has lead me straight to the real deal. I'm hooked already, I created an Ebay account, and have every intention of spending loads of money on my new collection of old handwritten letters and journals.

So I thought about it, would I have been a person who would have bid on the letters that man found? I'll bite my lower lip and answer honestly, the answer is absolutely. Obviously the man doesn't hold his discovery as the treasure it really is and is willing to let the letters go. He chose at first to sell them, and honestly, that was his choice to make. I would have been a buyer, because I would be somone who would honor and cherish such a treasure. According to the majority of the message board posters that would make me monster.

In my eye's, it is a collection of humanity in a rare and beautiful raw form. An example of life and the power of thought that should be cherished. Would I have said a prayer for each of the people, yes. Would it honor their wishes and desires? I suppose thats a matter of opinion. It does appear the right thing will indeed happen. The man has decided to donate the letters to a church. Good for him, and the letters. Everything always has a way of turning out beautiful..........