Picture this: you’re at a local coffee shop, you sit down at a table, and you see an envelope that reads ‘Open me!’ on it.
Inside is a letter with an inspirational quote or some words of encouragement.
You just found a Milwaukee Love Letter.
Katrina Lord is the heart behind the project. One of her handwritten notes reads a quote by Walt Whitman:
“Happiness, not in another place, not for another hour, but this hour.”
And on the back of the note, Lord writes her own personal message:
“It says, ‘Hello, stranger! May you have happiness here and now. MKE Love Letter,” Lord reads out loud. “And I’ve added two small hearts on the back.”
Lord places her colorful letters throughout Milwaukee for anyone to find — like in a little free library or a neighborhood coffee shop.
“The goal is really to bring surprise delight into someone's day… and yeah, unexpected joy,” she says.
Lord has been putting pen to paper as Milwaukee Love Letter since 2016. She was inspired by a New York City Instagram account to start the project.
As an avid reader, she gets quotes for her love letters from different books and magazines she’s read over the years.
“I'm in tech for my job, and that has its own form of creativity, but this is more artistic creativity,” she says. “At the time, I didn't really realize it, but it was also something that I needed [as an outlet]... but also reading these positive quotes and searching for them brought me that positivity too.”
Lord has written more than a thousand love letters. She posts photos of her favorite ones on her Instagram, MKELoveLetter, and sometimes hears back from people who find them.
“It's varied, from just a nice, short message to some people who share really touching stories,” she says. “I've had a couple of times where they're going through a hard time, and they just needed that little brightness, and the letters have filled that for them. Or they've seen it as a message from a loved one. You know, you get something like this, and can interpret it as whatever you need it to be at that time.”
Lord says handwritten letters are a novelty in this digital world. They can be comforting and create a sense of connection — even with a stranger.
“If you receive a letter from someone, you know that they took the time and they're really opening up,” she says. “Even if it can be lighthearted writing, they're putting pen to paper, and it's out there.”
Lord says Milwaukee Love Letter will continue to evolve with her life as it has for the past ten years.
“We are expecting our first kid, and I'm already thinking, ‘Oh, that'll be fun to incorporate him into it somehow!’”
But one thing that’ll never change is the project’s main purpose — to spread joy throughout the city she loves.
“It’s fun to share this story, and hopefully it also inspires others to do something similar, Lord says. “Whether it's writing letters, or making magnets, or putting crochet hearts out there — just join that random acts of kindness community. That's one of the reasons why I keep doing this and keep sharing the stories. Maybe someone else will find as much joy in a new hobby that they hear on this segment.”
So, grab a pen, a piece of paper and share a little kindness — we can all use more of it in our lives.
You can learn more about the Milwaukee Love Letter project by visiting Lord’s Instagram, MKELoveLetter, and website.
