#tbjsnailmail

 "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've just made chocolate chip cookies for a friend of Michael's who is caring for his two kids while his wife recovers from surgery. Emmy is sitting at the counter filling out her Valentine's Day Cards for her classmates. She is practicing the "y." I also just finished a round of chemotherapy, yesterday, and I'm feeling a lot of gratitude as I stare out the window at our 3 acres. 

My best friend, Missy, moved to North Carolina this past August. She just texted to say what I knew as she was leaving, "...I miss you. Feeling this 9 hr distance. I can't just make a day trip and see my best friend. Took that for granted." We both did. I miss her too. But, this stack of Valentine's Day cards and the distance to my best friend has just reminded me of an idea I had this past Christmas. 

I love getting Christmas cards! It's hard to get those cards printed and mailed during the season, and sometimes I don't send them. I did this year, but it was tough because I realized I had saved all of my addresses on my Timber Creek Google Drive, which no longer exists. Thankfully, my sister, Stacy, lent me her very comprehensive address book. And my husband, Michael, addressed and sent all of his family and friends' cards (which I think is above and beyond the typical husband Christmas duties). 

Many of my friends, both on group chats and via social media posts, echo my feelings. We love to get the cards, but sometimes it has to be the thing that gets cut during the very busy and pricey season. I heard a couple tales about people who save their cards and only send to those addresses they received from. Some people get cut from the list. I get that. And it does motivate me to get our cards sent because I don't want to get cut off of any lists! 

I remember a friend of mine from Timber Creek, Jen Ciccotelli, used to talk about how she loved getting regular mail, snail mail, and she was very dedicated to sending out what she wanted to receive. And there it is: you get what you give. 

I will admit, I've felt pretty distant from my friends lately, but I take responsibility for it. I have not been sending out a lot of texts, emails, hellos...thanks. 

Here's my new fun challenge for myself: I'm making an intention to mail, through the US Postal system, Thank You Cards to a different group of friends/family every week. And I'll be blogging here about how it goes. 

This week's #tbjsnailmail recipients will be: Abbe Elliott, Missy Campanalonga, Colleen Petersen, Cheryl Bormann, and Lisa Field. And Jen Ciccotelli. Watch your mailboxes, ladies! 

I'll let you know how it goes!