Love Letter: An Unspoken Gesture of Love

And: a divine connection.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 17, 2021 By Charanna Alexander Ross Showalter, the writer of this week's Modern Love essay, who is deaf, spent the last nine years disappointed by suitors who promised to learn sign language but never followed through. That all changed when he met Will, a man that not only made learning sign language a priority, but also helped Mr. Showalter discover that he deserved more than one-sided relationships built on empty promises. MODERN LOVE "I hadn't believed him when he told me he was teaching himself sign, but then he showed me something I could believe in." Brian Rea Modern Love A Love Language Spoken With Hands For a deaf man used to broken promises, a video message delivers a fresh start. By Ross Showalter Subscribe Today We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE MODERN LOVE Bite-size love stories. Brian Rea Modern Love Tiny Love Stories: 'A Child I'll Never Meet' Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words. LOVE AND MARRIAGE A couple connected by faith. Julia Rendleman for The New York Times Vows Relationships with Grandmothers (and God) Drew Them Closer Aaron Ledesma and Timothy-Keith Earley, who saw the Pope soon after they started dating, bonded over both being "grandma's boys." By Alix Wall Bre Jane Photography Mini-Vows At First, They Were Up in the Air When Bridgette Summers and Andrew Wicks each signed up for an aerial tour of Kauai, neither expected that their favorite sight would be a fellow passenger. By Emma Grillo Emily Boone Mini-Vows Life as a Pair Began at His Table for One Sandra Sidi had given up on love by the time she walked into a Texas restaurant and caught the eye of Ron Welch, who invited her to sit with him. By Louise Rafkin Roxane Lumeret Field Notes Weddings for Days Multiday wedding celebrations packed with events are becoming more popular as couples look to make up lost time with loved ones during the pandemic. By Danielle Braff ASK THE EXPERTS How to deal when your friends lie. Miguel Porlan Social Q's Can I Call Out My Friend for Lying About Her Dad's Death? Confused by an introduction to someone she had been told was deceased, a reader seeks advice. By Philip Galanes Vanessa Saba Field Notes How to Avoid Basic Wedding Scams From counterfeit gowns to stolen gifts, here are four common fraudulent schemes and tips for how to prevent them. By Daniel Bortz Ryan Jenq for The New York Times Let Them Eat (Wacky, Whimsical) Cake From weddings to birthdays, fantastically imperfect cakes slathered in frosting, or that wobble and wiggle, are redefining the look of celebratory confections. By Hilary Reid Continue reading the main story ADVERTISMENT MORE ON LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS And, moving forward with unresolved emotions. Artwork by Amy Friend What if There's No Such Thing as Closure? Many of us are taught that if we work hard enough we'll be able to get over our losses. The social scientist Pauline Boss sees it differently. By Meg Bernhard Michela Buttignol Romance Sugar and Spice and (Almost) Everything Nice A dangerously sexy ghost-befriending witch, a dessert shop owner, a witty divorced librarian: You'll fall for the characters these new romance novels and stories. By Olivia Waite via Anthology Film Archives Rewind 'My Girlfriend's Wedding': Her Life Plays Like a Movie Newly restored, Jim McBride's 1969 documentary is about his lover who gets married to another man. Her story remains anything but boring. By J. Hoberman We Asked 1,320 Therapists What They're Hearing From Patients Frontline mental health workers in every state say they can't keep up with the demand from patients struggling with the disruptions of pandemic life. By Tara Parker-Pope, Christina Caron and Mónica Cordero Sancho We want to hear from you. We want to deliver content that truly matters to you and your feedback is helpful. Email your thoughts to loveletter@nytimes.com. Also, here's how to submit a Modern Love essay or how to be featured in an Unhitched column. Don't feel like writing more than a tweet, an Instagram caption or a Facebook post? Consider submitting to Tiny Love Stories, which are no more than 100 words. Getting married? Here's how to submit your love story and news of your upcoming marriage. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Love Letter from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018