It's in this letter, and the letters that keep coming that fall, where I meet someone who isn't just my mother anymore.

She isn't just a caretaker or a person to call on a bad day. She isn't just an emergency contact.

Somehow we've crossed borders and boundaries, and we're becoming friends.

Real friends.

This is new territory.

It's as if we knew the possibility always existed,

but for the first time, we're jiggling the doorknob

and allowing ourselves to walk in this space.

My mother leading me still.

We give one another advice, acting as sounding boards.

We send one another jokes and letters and packages.

I watch her and coach her from the sidelines.

Hannah Brencher is the founder of More Love Letters, an organization that helps people connect

through the age-old art form of words handwritten on a page.

In today's episode, Hannah shares a story about deepening relationships when we slow down enough to express ourselves with pen and paper.

In this series, we blend immersive first-person stories with mindfulness prompts to help you restore yourself at any time of the day.

I'm Rohan and I'll be your guide on this episode of Meditative Story. From time to time, we'll pause the story ever so briefly

for me to come in with guidance to enhance your experience as you listen.

I hope these prompts will be helpful to you.

And before we hear from Hannah, I'd like you to smile.

Ultimately, all of her work is about connection and joy, even in difficult circumstances.

So even if you don't feel like smiling, give it a go and notice any change in mood that follows as a result.

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