‘Letters from Liza’ brightens mailboxes, lifts hearts

In this era of instant messaging, a handwritten letter is almost a lost art.

Liza Johnson is determined to change that.

For the past three years, she has been handwriting a letter to a stranger every day.

“I started writing on behalf of my mom when she fell ill,” Johnson said. “I realized how important receiving those letters were to her … and her sense of connection to the world.”

After her mother passed, Johnson started thinking that perhaps she could leave a little joy in someone else’s mailbox too. That was the beginning of what is now known as “Letters from Liza.”

“It fulfils you. It just makes you a better person to know you have more connections with people,” she said.

Through name nominations she receives on her website, she pens a new letter every day.

Shirley Schuetz has now received several letters from Johnson, after her daughter Cathy Wolak added her to the list.

“It’s such a treat to receive a letter in the mail…just knowing that someone was thinking of me,” Schuetz said.

Johnson has written hundreds of letters and cards over the last couple years each one a delightful surprise to the person finding it in their mailbox.

“I savor the feel of it in my hands, taking my time to open it. It is such a treat,” Schuetz said. 

If you’d like to add someone’s name to receive a letter from Liza or would like to support the cause by donating cards or postage, check out her website.