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Therapeutic letters, a distinct written intervention in the genre of family therapy and family systems nursing, have been attributed almost startling anecdotal nomination of value in terms of the significance of their influence within the context of clinical work with families. In the Family Nursing Unit at the University of Calgary, therapeutic letters have been used for over 15 years in clinical work with families experiencing illness and suffering, and have received repeated and noticeable attribution by families and by nurse clinicians. This research, engaging a hermeneutic inquiry, explores 11 therapeutic letters sent and received in the context of clinical work with three families seen in the Family Nursing Unit. Textual interpretation of the 11 letters is complemented by research interviews with the families, and with the nurse clinicians who wrote the letters, as well as in-session, pre, and post session transcriptions, culminating in evocative data that provide the sustenance for interpretive inquiry. Findings suggest that letters have influence which is related to the creation, harmony, maintenance, and authenticity of relationship; to the tone of the individuals involved; to the delicate balancing of questions: commendations, and artful writing; to the function of remembrance; to a measure and marker of change; to the notion of the back and forth movement of "play" in a relational context; and to the obligation of meeting people experiencing illness at the point of their suffering. These findings offer suggestions, not as a template, but as an inspiration and evocation to write therapeutic letters that are heartfelt, loving, responsible, and large enough to sustain a meeting. Other unwritten possibilities across nursing are explored, as well as ethical considerations, and questions for future research.