Love Letters in Colombia (May 26, 2026)
This all started with my mom who taught me to take the time to tell people how much they mean to you with a hand written card or note. I resisted this growing up. “Don’t they know how much I love them? Why do I have to do homework to tell someone how much they mean to me?” And, what resists, persists.
Now it has become second nature. Rather than seeing handwriting a letter as “work,” I see it as Love in Action. Hand writing a note is special. It means you took the time to really think about the impact someone has had on you in your life at this precise moment. While love is generally invisible, writing a letter of love is like taking a photograph of your feelings and handing it to the person who made you feel them.
Page 1 of my letter of love to Felipe and Angela, my adopted family
Page to of deep gratitude for all that Felipe & Angela have done
As is my custom, I left it on the bed for them to find when they returned home after dropping me off at the airport. I have done this at every home I have stayed in throughout my travels. It allows me to deeply express the impact someone else has made on my life. In this moment, they have enriched my life and made it significantly better. Isn’t it worth telling them exactly that?
I also love the “surprise and delight” aspect of this tradition. One of my hosts (see related post), was so busy with her day-to-day duties that she didn’t discover my letter until more than a week after I had left. Great! I don’t see acknowledgment or anything else once I have written the letter. The joy is in the giving. Period.
And, I know that I am not alone in this …
Letter of love from Santiago Bravo in our second meal together
I asked Santiago if it would be okay if I shared his letter here and he gave me permission. Typically, the letters are only intended to be seen by the person to whom they are addressed. So why am I sharing both of these letter here?
To encourage you to take this one simple, easy and profound action. Today. Even as you read this, you already have a name or a face appearing in your mind, don’t you? This person is the one who needs to hear from you … today. Tell them how much they mean to you. Express in your own words the deep impact they’ve made on your life. This could be someone close like a spouse, child or parent. It could be a friend you haven’t seen for awhile. Or it could be a new friend you are just now getting to know.
Santiago Bravo’s friendship bracelet to me with Colombian colors
Bill and Santiago have one more meal together in Bogota, Colombia
It was great seeing Santiago again before I complete my stay here in Colombia. After saying goodbye to Felipe and his wife Angela, I checked in to my hotel and walked over to my favorite restaurant in all of Colombia — Crepes and Waffles. It was a full circle moment. This was the first restaurant where I fell in love with Colombian food and met Santiago. It was fitting that we repeat the experience, express our deep gratitude for each other and close out this epic visit to Colombia.
Yes, I have one final day where I get to be instructed on a Pilates Reform machine (my first time), by a 20+ year veteran instructor, Adriana Montoya (see related article). Now that my gym has these machines, perhaps I’ve found a new way to stay fit, healthy and strong. And I’ll leave that for another post.
P.S. Don’t forget to write that letter. While I was waiting for these pictures to upload, I wrote one more for another person who made my trip special here in Colombia. In truth, I could use the bulk of my final day to do this for everyone who’s had an impact in my life (and still not come close to finishing ;-) So we begin with ONE.
