Dear A, Have you been well? Recently I have been spending time at the sea- I go whenever I feel like my heart might be too much for my own bones to carry. I've collected sea shells and glass and I think I'll never be quite rid of any of the sand that travels with me. -V    -----------------------------------------------    Episode Content Warning: Detailed Expression of Grief NOTE:If you find yourself facing challenging emotions and thoughts, please consider seeking support. As there is absolutely no shame in seeking the help of others, a heart can be a heavy thing to carry alone and others are here to help. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization in providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to all, including LGBTQ+ youth and have trained counselors ready and available. Find them online at thetrevorproject.org or reach them 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 -----------------------------------------------    Written and Produced by myself, Veronica Sisneros nee Vestal Find me online as @veronero_chan on Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram.    Have a letter you'd like to submit, send it on in at [email protected] and title it LTA Submission with permission to read for the show.    Credit for today's quote is provided by American Poet and 2020 Literary Nobel Prize Awardee, Louise Glük from her poem "March" "(...) all she wanted was the smell of the sea, of disappearance."    -----------------------------------------------------

Dear A, Have you been well? I have written and rewritten this feeling I have been carrying with me for days now, and all that is left for me to say is all that I can give within the enclosed. I hope that my clumsy expression serves you in some way. ----------------------------------------------- Content Warning: Mentions of Depression and Symptoms of Depression NOTE: There is no replacement for professional mental and emotional guidance in the form of therapy. However if therapy is a resource that is not easily attainable and you find yourself in need, please consider reaching out to a helpline such as The Samaritans HelpLine which focuses on providing compassionate support to anyone who might be experiencing feelings of anxiety, confusion, isolation and depression. Their services are confidential and free to use and can be reached by dialing 1-877-870-4673 ----------------------------------------------- Written and Produced by myself, Veronica Sisneros nee Vestal Find me online as @veronero_chan on Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram. Have a letter you'd like to submit, send it on in at [email protected] and title it LTA Submission with permission to read for the show. Credit for today's quote is provided by the influential French Novelist, Gustave Flaubert, in a letter written to George Sand he states, "As for me, my heart is oppressed in a way that astonishes me, and I wallow in a bottomless melancholy" Honorable mention includes the work of Rainer Maria Rilke from "The Book of Hours" in which we refer to his statement, "Yet no matter how deep I go into myself, My God is dark." -----------------------------------------------------

Dear A, I write to you today for the first time and I feel free in the short adoxography that I have begun. I look forward to this journey that we will begin together and I hope for one thing, as always- that you are well. So... have you been well? ----------------------------------------------- Written and Produced by myself, Veronica Sisneros nee Vestal Find me online as @veronero_chan on Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram. Have a letter you'd like to submit, send it on in at [email protected] and title it LTA Submission with permission to read for the show. Credit for today's quote is a verse pulled from the poem "Dogfish" which belongs to American Poet and Pulitzer Prize Awardee, Mary Oliver, "Mostly I want to be kind. And nobody, of course, is kind, or mean, for a simple reason. And nobody gets out of it, having to swim through the fires to stay in this world. Honorable mention includes a quote found on twitter by the modern American author, Samuel Miller @samtwomiller "If you're only given one, single, cosmic moment to affect someone else's life, why would you ever show them anything but complete kindness?" -----------------------------------------------------

Thank you for taking the time to listen and learn! Here is where we discover the core values of Letters to Anyone and the motivation that drives it. I look forward to writing again soon, happy listening friends!