A LETTER arrived in the post box on the wall outside my front door the other day – a handwritten envelope. Inside a was a beautiful card with an image of a rambling rose flowering in a wild meadow on the cover.

The message was from a reader of this column – someone who has been struggling at times with a “life-changing and life limiting incurable condition”.

She spoke of the column having both “inspired and encouraged” her during some very dark days.

It’s humbling to read such unsolicited and heartfelt words but it’s more than that. It fortifies my own weaknesses and steadies my own wobbles as I stagger along my own difficult path with a self-preserving acceptance of my situation – like an imaginary crutch or hand rail.

In truth, we are all hanging on to each other – our minds and limbs like branches are lashed together to create our human survival raft.

We are all in the same boat. We all have different issues, circumstances, fears, worries – and we all have the same ones too.

At least we have been able to pull together, to create a bond through distance via words and shared emotions.

Digital wizardry records how many people read these words online. Only a very small minority choose to comment on content – only five or six of up to 3,000 readers on LinkedIn alone most weeks.

And that’s usually after many weeks or months of contemplative reading and quiet reflection.

We, the afflicted, are mostly fairly quiet and unspoken about our innermost thoughts and feelings. Then there are all the partners who are on the other side of that quietnes, left with the most emotionally draining tasks – to bolster morale and hide the cracks in their own hearts and minds.

Carers, too, make contact to say how sharing an honesty of feelings and fears and experiences can provide a vital insight that helps bridge the gap of being able to have those conversations closer to home.

I named this column when it started “Between These Four Walls” to reflect the reality of the effect of shielding during the pandemic.

I would not have coped well at all if I had kept my diagnosis and feelings locked up in the four walls of our house. I can survive just fine with home deliveries and physical restrictions but being able to link beyond our four walls through words and thoughts is so vital for both myself and Laura.

We read every bit of correspondence – whether social media, email or in a beautiful handwritten card. We’re all in this together and together we’re stronger, even if we often feel alone.

Ally McLaws is a freelance specialist in writing, business marketing and reputation management. See the full range of services and view all previous columns at www.mclawsconsultancy.com