You've got (real) mail

How long has it been since I went to the mailbox with any sense of positive expectation? Rather, I've dutifully picked up bills, catalogs, and unwanted solicitations ... sometimes waiting days between mailbox visits unless deliveries of medications or other heat-sensitive materials were expected.

But now ...

I find hand-written notes and cards, some with added treasures tucked inside. There have been thanks for peace pins, congratulations for our new grandchild from Marti, and a love letter from our daughter Meg.

My hands opened to let go of tiny bits of cloth and I received in turn a hank of cotton floss to add to my next dye pot (thank you Beth) and parachute silk (!) from England to add as well (thank you Louise ... and thanks too for the wee collaged box that accompanied it). All of it unexpected.

But it was the words, handwritten and heart-felt, that I most appreciated. As Judy wrote, "I loved getting real mail!"

It's a lesson I won't soon forget.