The voices in my letters are authentic, direct, often quite poignant, if you only watched the news you will never hear these voices, they are not angry, demanding, they speak to the feelings and emotions of life, they are a treasure to me. Yesterday, a letter came to my Post Office Box 502 (Cambridge, N.Y., 12816) from David Tamer of North Carolina, written in hand on a small piece of notepaper, wrapped carefully in a folded piece of plain yellow paper, with a $5 bill attached inside of it.

I did not create the P.O. Box to make money, and it is not necessary to send money in your letters,  but about a fourth of the messages have checks or carefully folded bills – these are from people who wish to subscribe to my blog in their own way, but can’t afford even small monthly fees are are not comfortable online, or who just prefer to write letters.  The cash is usually in small amounts – $5, $10, $20, sometimes some neatly folded $1 bills. It is a powerful thing to imagine the people tucking their money carefully into their envelopes and moistening them and pressing them closed.

Mr. Tamer’s purpose in writing me was to “thank you for making my day every morning.” He thought it only write that people who enjoy my work should try and help maintain it. I was struck by how Mr. Tamer did not need to be persuaded or convinced to do something that so many writers and artists are struggling to get done – getting paid for their work online. Mr. Tamer did not need to be cajoled in an Internet marketing campaign or by polished pleas to subscribe to the blog, the idea was “only right” to him, and $5 – precious to me – was what he could afford. I thank you, sir, your message affirms the beauty of grace and the human conscience and of human dignity. It helps me to appreciate the true value and meaning of my work, something that is not always apparent in the modern era. I will carry it in my wallet and save it up for a rainy day.