It’s just an old green mailbox—weathered by time, nearly swept away by the rising river, and now standing strong once again as spring approaches. Nestled quietly in the James River Park System, this humble box has become a beacon of reflection, resilience, and community connection.

After a recent stretch of heavy rain and floodwaters, we temporarily removed the “Dear Richmond” journals for safekeeping. But now, with the sun shining again and the water receding, we’ve returned the journals to their rightful place—and something remarkable has happened. Richmonders have come back in record numbers, leaving behind messages of hope, healing, love, grief, humor, and longing.

What began as a simple journaling experiment in partnership with the James River Park System has grown into a collective portrait of life in Richmond. Over the years, this mailbox has weathered storms, changing seasons, and social and political flux. Yet what’s inside it—the words, sketches, stories, and scribbled moments from strangers—remains a steady reminder of what binds us together.

This latest collection of entries arrives at a time when our community, and our country, is often divided—split between celebration and uncertainty, between sorrow and pride. And yet, here in this shared space in the woods, people continue to connect through the written word. They continue to choose vulnerability. They continue to leave behind traces of humanity for the next wanderer to discover.

As we prepare to welcome the first day of spring, here are some of the most recent messages found inside the old green mailbox. Some are love letters to Richmond, some are prayers for the Earth, some are quiet observations from a walk in the woods. Each one is a piece of this shared story—a testament to the idea that even after the storm, something beautiful always returns:

– Here I sit on the last few days of Winter. Spring can be felt on the water and the wind. The Earth is thawing, green again, the air warmer, the birds sing above again. As the seasons pass, so does time. The future is ahead, and what is behind us may start to only live in the memory but will always be a part of this journey.

– Dear Richmond, when I moved here in 2023, I was a shell of myself and unsure of how to change that. I spent most of my first year here in silence, with my dog as companion, walking the easy streets of Church Hill. As my nerves settled, I started to make friends and find my place. I found a group of people that are kind, supportive, and generous. I have favorite restaurants, ice cream shoppes, and cocktail bars. And now, thanks to this journal, I have a favorite spot at the river. Were it not for the love this city has shown me, I’m unsure of where or who I’d be. So, I just want to say thank you for giving me joy, community, and love that I wasn’t sure I would ever find. Thank you for the sunsets at Libby Hill and thank you for the quiet walks at Brown’s Island. Thank you for giving me a reason to stay…and to heal.

– The trail may be rough at times, but there is beauty in every step. And that is enough. Nourish your connection with yourself, your loved ones, and this beautiful planet.

– Dear Richmond, I hope you’re enjoying the trail. Today I get to enjoy it with my dad. I love him so much and hate the thought he won’t be here one day. He’s got no idea what I’m writing right now though—he sits beside me. He is my dearest friend who’s always been there. I’m so proud of him. Please keep this mailbox alive so I can come back one day when he’s not here and feel the comfort of nostalgia. Hi older me! (12 years old)

– I love Richmond and the river. The James = life (sometimes stinky life, but isn’t that just how it goes, lol?). Love this city, the community, and this project!

– I took this walk with my wonderful partner. I’m thinking a lot about him lately. I’m thinking about doing our anniversary on a hike. I love him a lot and I’m not sure how I got so lucky. I’ve had a lot of “what if” thoughts lately, and most of them include him. What if we had met earlier? What if we grow old together? I’m thinking a lot about the future lately. I hope to have him in it.

– I want to see more people like me out here. You know what I mean — people of color. I want to take up more space in this world. I want to see a better future for us. Plus, word of advice: when you go out in nature, leave it better than you found it.

– Dear Richmond, I moved here less than a year ago after graduating college, not knowing what would come next. It’s been the hardest period of my life, navigating the unknown and discovering who I am without a clear set path for me to follow. When I feel especially lost or like I’ve made a mistake moving away from what I know, I like to come to the river. It grounds me, serves me my strength and independence, and reminds me of my favorite part of this city and all it has to offer. I could listen to it and watch the patterns of the water for hours. Trust that this city will become a home, and I can think of no better place to discover who I am. For now, I am learning to place comfort in the unknown and even to seek comfort in nature and exploration. Thank you, Richmond, you have my heart.

– The first time I came to Belle Isle I thought I had met someone I was meant to be with. But we were in a toxic relationship, and I finally got the courage to leave and eventually moved on. Now I’m sitting here with someone new who adores me, and I appreciate him. I’m happy to make beautiful memories here with him. He’s helped me become this new person that I never would have been. I wish I could attach a picture of him laying on my lap right now.

– Dear Richmond, I found this journal during a moment of peace. So thankful for this. Thank you for the reminder of peace, cherry trees, rushing streams and fresh air. It’s been a rough one. Take care and be well.

– Weather: Sunny 73° @ 1:08 p.m. It’s a Mommy Hike Day and we love walking near the water as a family. We love sunny days. We love talking and seeing all the changes on our walks. 

– It’s my 29th birthday, so fill one up for me and pour one out for the homies.

– Dear Reader, the only constant in this crazy world is change. Be gentle and kind to yourself.

– Whatever resides within you still lives now. Whatever age you may be, the inner child is. Never stop exploring, asking questions, challenging the status quo, and adventuring. Try to look at the world like it’s magic because it is. I promise the energy of being positive and above all LOVING will pull out the energy of light, and the universe will shine it. We all get one life to live and I hope you get to make yours beautiful, whatever that may look like to you. Safe travels along the way.

– Went fishing with friends. It’s cold. This adventure took all my lures and fishing pole. No fish in return. It’s the first day of Spring Break and I hope to waste more time out on the water as the season goes on.

– It’s like 60°F and cloudy and glorious. I’m out here with my dog, Faye. We’re having the best walk ever. Straight up RVA. Send it.

– Listen to the water
Listen to the birds
Hear the wind flow through the trees.
Listen to your body Hear your soul
Be one with yourself Breathe. IN. OUT.
Take a step back

– This journal is such a cool concept. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself every once in a while. Relax. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. Leave nature better than you found it. That’s all I got.

– Dear Richmond, life is slowly starting to come back together. Being outside in nature is the best thing to get through most days. Don’t take life too serious because it’s not.

– It’s sunny again and summer is coming. I love this city.

– Here we go again, with the same ol’ story. Boy and girl meet, have a good time until boy shows he’s incapable of having a complex thought. I’m alone yet not alone at all. I feel all of it, the overwhelming joy of my support system; the eventual-mild loneliness from being romantically alone. I yearn for that type of connection and will yearn it in this book. I’ll focus on admiring the insane girl I have for myself. Which insane is not to be mistaken with “unreachable” but to be synonymous with big ambitions. I will dedicate the energy I used towards someone into my work and future career. Thank you for always being there for me mother nature. I wouldn’t be alive without you.

– Everyone writes of love, so let’s admit it already. We need love.

– Another day done and for the first time in a while I sit and quiet my mind. Though I don’t see myself living here long term, I’d like to imagine myself coming back here to this special spot protected by the sound of the river. 

– We feel spring coming and see it too! Keep the James beautiful.

– Dear Richmond, we were so inspired by Em White’s artist talk today at Reedy Creek.

– We didn’t plan on being here, but because of all the traffic—here we are. Drove out of our way to see the beautiful trail and I am excited to be here.

– Here with my best friend in the world. It’s a cloudy Thursday with a temp of 51° currently (3:30pm). It’s moments like this that her and I will remember fondly. Love this project, loooovvveee Richmond!

– Art student at VCU here! I love hiking and these trails so much. So many good things! Saw mockingbirds and sparrows, sunny walk here + 2 deer and a fawn.

– I moved to the area in 2012. I’ve run on these trails, biked them, rafted down this river and now have two boys to share the joy of this place. May this area always be preserved and used by people of all walks of life.

– It’s getting pretty dark outside now and I can’t see very well so I’ll keep this short, but this journal in the mailbox is a really neat idea and I’m glad that I found it. This is my first time at this place, and I very much enjoy it. It filled me with a sense of peace and tranquility that I wish I felt more often. I might have to take this idea back to Missouri with me. Long live RVA.

– It’s our first time here, and we love it.

– Brought here for the first time to enjoy this spot on the river, as our annual pilgrimage. My sister loved the water and this time of year there are always birds singing and small signs of spring growth by the water. Listening to the water rushing and birds singing makes the chill a little more tolerable.

– I pray for our earth, the animals, and for our elected officials to reconsider their policies.

– It’s a beautiful spring-like day, even though we had snow last week. Funny how that can happen in weather, kind of like life. The sun always rises.

– To any queer or trans people reading – you’re loved.

– Whether we know it or not, nature is watching out for us. It’s our turn to watch after nature now. It’s the lifeblood for every living thing on Earth. It’s everything.

– Be the light that shines to all that read. May God bless you and keep you.

– The world is a mirror — for each of us and as a whole. We are one. Love is everywhere.

– It’s sunny TODAY! Which is reminding me that the space we find ourselves anywhere can also be warm like the perfect sunny day. If we practice meditating, you can get there.

– So much peace in this empty space. Life is love.

– Our family of four moved back and our first Richmond hike brought us here. Fate. Thank you, river and nature, for always being home.

– Dear Richmond, no matter where I go, RVA remains home. Feeling immense gratitude for the indigenous keepers of this land. Those who communed with and relied on the health of these waters for their own communities. Water is life. The nutritive essence from which we came. Our first homes in the watery wombs of our life-givers. Once upon a time, First Nations people were forbidden from practicing ceremonies to honor the river. They had to continue in secret. Isn’t that wild? Can we honor their sacrifices they had to make? Can we honor these waters too? Remember when we lost water from the city for a full 5 days? Filling up jugs at the natural spring reminded me that we are in community with this land. Our elected representatives are cool and all, but the land is my life-giver. My neighbors are the ones I will fight to protect and provide for. This Earth, our home, deserves to be respected and protected. I’ve really enjoyed reading the entries before mine. So many people have found community with the land and with each other. This place is special. The Richmond River is real. Let’s keep this place a home worth coming home to. If you are reading this, smile at the next living being you see — whether it’s a tree, a bird, the water, or a person. Spread love.

– I had just moved to Richmond. 2023 was one of the most difficult yet for me. About 4 years ago I lost my grandmother who had really dealt with a lot. She lived with us for years & she passed away at home peacefully in summer. My family, in her last weeks, was there and she seemed peaceful immediately after. I’ve never been a religious person nor spiritual in any particular type of way most of my life. But I feel connected to something in a way a religious person might be. A few days after my grandma passed I had a dream of her. And I’ve dealt with disrupted sleep for as long as I can remember AND almost never have good, vivid dreams, so this dream was unusual. Anyway, she was there and I was lucid enough to understand that what was happening was crazy, because she had just recently passed. The space we were in was empty but full of energy. Everything was bright white but soft, and you could almost feel the atmosphere like a swaddling around yourself. She was there and laying/floating before me, and I asked her if she was okay. She let me know that she was. There was not complete verbal communication—it was almost a combination of verbal, mental, telepathic. I felt an emotional “click” when you know you are experiencing something sensational or rare. I felt everything that you feel when you lose your favorite person on the earth. Grief feels like everything swirled together; it’s one of the most complex experiences. Anyway, I asked her if she would come back to see me. She emitted a kind of smug, all-knowing energy like she was laughing at a silly question. There was an unending feeling of peace all around. In the gap, it was the same. And love. I don’t even know how to properly explain it, but the space was like if love had a physical place. Like if the heart of the universe was right there and we were in it. Sound crazy? LOL. Anyway, I felt like experiencing that and some other dreams set a similar feeling that features her taught me things that were never said, but somehow otherwise transmitted. Love is the framework and core of everything. The more love you generate, spread and root the deeper you are with “IT.” The everything of everything. God or the source energy—intentions matter and you affect others AND the energy that ripples through everything more than you can realize.  You are within everything, and everything is within you.

– Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

– PLEASE HELP RESTORE THE RIGHTFUL NAME TO THIS BEAUTIFUL BODY OF WATER that provided life, security, peace, and love to generations of humans who walked this very place before us. This is the Powhatan River, not the colonizer King James.

– Best advice received: Nobody cares. Take care of yourself. Stop judging.

– Came out today for a walk and found this place. Love the sound of rushing water, peaceful sounds of nature. This was the best quick break I have had in years. Keep sharing!

– Dear Richmond, I didn’t think I would ever find a book like this. Being near the river you feel a sense of peace. Remember life has its ups and downs but it’s all about how you carry and get through anything that comes your way. LOVE YOURSELF ALWAYS!!!

– Hey Richmond, in these times, we must unite and stay together. The times we are living in are heavy for us — racism at its peak, the government failing, and we’re slowly starting to lose our humanity. Love is the only way we can overcome. If we’d start to respect and treat each other the way we’d want to be treated, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much unnecessary pain. I’m not perfect and I’m sorry if y’all can’t get what I’m saying — Love is stronger than hate.

– Thank you to all that keep the park nice for us all to enjoy.

– Dear Richmond, I came here a few months prior to the COVID pandemic for a job opportunity that I later found to be a miserable, dead-end job. My boss was nothing more than a money-hungry a**hole. I found myself greatly unhappy, with no friends, nothing to do because of the COVID regulations, and a terrible job that I’d worked so hard for. I found happiness, friends, and a sense of belonging after discovering PICKLEBALL, but later on was trapped in a relationship that alienated me and pulled me away into solitude where all I knew was her. After years of toxicity and abuse, I finally found the strength to leave. Now, I’ve realized with the help of some great humans that I am badass, beautiful, and wanted. So I want to thank Richmond for all the highs and lows on this rollercoaster of life, and for putting good people in my life. Even for the ones that haven’t been so great — like my ex — I wish you all the best and hope you find a way to treat people beyond me with greater compassion and kindness. – One Badass B

– Close your eyes and feel the energy of this majestic place. Thank you, Mother Earth, for such wonderful gifts.

– Dear Richmond, I was looking for the perfect place to spark the blunt. I found it. With love.

– Dear Richmond, I’ve never been here before, but the rush of the water makes me feel closer to the ocean. It’s cool, not cold. My dog is waiting patiently. Hope these pictures turn out good. Peace, love, and Wu Tang.

– Dear Richmond, I wonder if the history books will remember America in 2025 the way we remember Germany in 1934 or the USSR in 1990. With the combo of authoritarianism and violent dismantling of state institutions, it feels like it could go either way. In any case, I am doing what I can and making sure to hold onto the bonds between me and those I love.

– Disconnect to reconnect.

– I’m sitting in nature nourishing my soul. The sound of water, the way it flows and moves, inspires me. I too want to “allow.” I too want to embody flow and joy and ease. A duck just floated by and I swear she had a smile on her face. May I be aware of when I’m resisting. May I listen to my body and trust / allow / find joy in the present moment. In the same way the duck is able to.

– Be the love and change you want to see in the world.