You matter. You are one in a million. You are loved. Stay strong. You are not invisible.

Many of us found these messages, hand-written on Post-it notes, on the front of our North Campus lockers on Nov. 9. They were eye-catching, bold and yes, neon.

It was done anonymously. No one stepped forward to take credit. Maybe they don’t want credit. That’s fine, but maybe we should stop and consider what they’ve done.

Annoying?  Maybe—if you’re looking for a reason to be annoyed. Some might consider it wasteful. Not mindful of the environment. Creating clutter in our already cluttered spaces. But maybe there is another way to look at this; maybe as a random act of kindness—one that was needed and maybe should be imitated.

On college campuses across the country, there is a movement known as More Love Letters. The goal is simple: to identify people who might feel ignored, downtrodden and maybe a bit invisible, and to send each a positive, affirming, handwritten letter. The group seeks to revive the lost art of letter writing and to reach out to those who need a boost. Letters go out to the elderly, to those facing a terminal illness and to those who live alone. The letters go out, anonymously, often to unknown recipients. But the feedback is positive. The letters are bringing affirmation to those who need it and hope to the hopeless. These letters are hitting their targets.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have an affirming experience every now and then. The weekend before these notes appeared, many LT students attended a Snowball weekend, a Plymouth Fellowship retreat or a Kairos retreat, myself included. Others might hear a positive message from a friend, a parent or a teacher. We are fortunate when we hear the messages that we need to hear. That others care about us. That we are accepted and loved. That we can live and need to live outside of ourselves a bit. But even those who have had these experiences need reminders. That’s why these anonymous neon Post-its notes were so important.

But there are also those at LT who seem invisible. The lost. The neglected. The unpopular. The marginalized. The unhappy. To these people, these notes can be invaluable. The simple Post-it notes brought a smile to more faces than I could count. Imagine the effect that these would have on someone who is going through a rough patch in their life. It could make all the difference in the world.

Student tragedies and continuing emotional struggles have been all too common at our beloved LT. Seeing a simple proactive step around LT is beautiful. Instead of suppressing out feelings, putting on masks and blocking what we really feel, we need to open up, branch out, support each other and let others know they are needed and loved.

So, to whoever wrote these letter, whatever your exact motivations are, thank you. If you would like to step forward, you can. Or, it’s fine if you want to stay anonymous. But, no matter who you are, you brought light to all of us. You brought smiles to faces and to hearts. Instead of putting people down, you lifted everybody up. That alone is special enough. But, you also lifted up the broken, helped the desolate, consoled the inconsolable. You brought life to the lifeless. That is not just special, it is priceless.

Maybe we should listen to whoever wrote these notes. Maybe we should set aside our cynicism and believe what we are being told. Maybe we need a boost. Maybe we need to give one.