Dear reader,

April is National Letter Writing Month, an occasion when folks are encouraged to put down their cellphones, turn off their email, pick up a pen and paper and physically write a letter to someone they care about.

Fountain Hills resident Effie Gross knows a lot about letters. They’ve been a part of her entire life and have helped keep her connected with friends and family members. Three years ago, she set out to write 100 letters to 100 different people who have had a positive influence on her life.

The result is “Personal Letters: Gifts from the Heart,” a book she hopes to see published in the near future.

“My story with letters dates back to the time when I was a little girl watching my mother at the Des Moines Post Office,” Gross said. “In the 1950s, she remembered everyone with a card or handwritten letter. Then, when I met my military boyfriend, we wrote 137 letters from July to December. We got married on his next leave in 1960. I have all of the letters he wrote to me but, since his death in 2004, I cannot find the letters I wrote to him. Some say that he took them with him to heaven.”

As part of her writing challenge, Gross’ first letter of the 100 was to her sister. Many of the remaining letters went to friends, acquaintances and family members. Her 16th letter was to her late husband, Roland Gross. She noted that was appropriate since she was 16 when she and Roland tied the knot.

Other letters in the lineup include two to Haitian children Gross sponsors through New Missions, Fountain Hills local and Holocaust survivor Magda Herzberger, President Donald Trump and, letter number 100, God.

Gross said that all of her letters were special to her, but some stood out for various reasons. Some of her most important letters, she said, came well before she decided to start working on the 100-letter goal.

One letter was from 1971 and involved a request to adopt a child. Another was to a television station in 1989 to have her mother named “Super Mom” for a special promotion. Another was a request for a high school diploma after she had earned an M.A. from Drakes’ University. Gross noted all three of those letters were written to strangers and all three were granted.

Another touching letter from Gross was to her in-laws, Bud and Lilly Gross, whom she never had the opportunity to meet. This letter was a part of her recent collection.

“I was married 43 years before Roland died, but his parents were deceased before we met,” Gross said. “I learned about Roland’s parents through family stories, annual visits to their grave sites and through their love letters; yes, I have them!

“In my letter to my in-laws, I was able to express my love for them and let them know that I was looking forward to meeting them in heaven.”

Looking back, Gross said she credits her niece with inspiring her 100-letter undertaking.

“She wrote a personal letter to me,” Gross said. “It was after my husband had died, but the words she said about my husband and myself were just so encouraging. It meant so much to me.”

Gross said the letter was so impactful that she eventually read it aloud to her students at Paradise Valley Community College to encourage them to write letter themselves. She eventually retired from education and now works at MCO Realty, but she’s still encouraging people to pick up a pen and put their thoughts and emotions to paper.

“Letters are intimate and I think intimacy, especially today, is very difficult,” Gross said. “Letters bring out emotion and are a benefit to the writer and the reader.”

Gross said there’s also a permanence to letter writing.

“Some letters in my personal collection are over 80 years old; we don’t keep many things like [we keep letters],” she added. “It’s also a historical record, when you go back and read those personal letters…The other thing is that everyone’s handwriting is unique. Even now, when I look at my husband’s handwriting, it means something to me. It’s personal. It’s him.”

To keep up with Gross or learn more about her book, visit effiegross.com. Of course, you’ll also find her contact information there, just in case you feel the need to write a letter.

“I wrote my book to encourage others to write,” Gross said. “Letters are a gift from the heart, which is where my book’s title comes from. If you want to give somebody the most personal thing you can give them, write from your heart.”