Jeremy L. Berg

As a nerdy hobby born of my doctoral dissertation, I am fascinated with the power of personal letters. I stumbled upon these remarkable words from St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 AD) in a letter to a friend long ago. He states so effusively how powerful some words from a friend can be during a trying time. Enjoy!

“What flower in spring is so bright, what voices of singing birds are so sweet, what breezes that soothe the calm sea are so light and mild, what glebe is so fragrant to the husbandman–whether it be teeming with green blades, or waving the fruitful ears–as is the spring of the soul, lit up with your peaceful beams, from the radiance which shone in your letter, which raised our life from despondency to gladness? For thus, perhaps, it will not be unfitting to adapt the word of the prophet to our present blessings: “In the multitude of the sorrows which I had in my heart, the comforts of God,” by your kindness, “have refreshed my soul,” like sunbeams, cheering and warming our life nipped by frost.”