Writing Letters

Tags

faith, family, letters, stamping, writing

It’s true – the art of writing letters is slowly becoming a lost art. Who has the time to put thought on paper (once you find some paper)? Then you have to find an address, a stamp and even a mailbox! Sometimes it is just easier to send a quick text or post a quick message on Facebook. I get that! I’m guilty of doing it too.

But once upon a time, I used to write a lot of letters. Hubby and I started our relationship on paper. He was a poor student in another city and phone calls cost money! I wrote crazy stories with small-town caracatures to a homesick friend studying in the city. When our worlds seemed to be crashing down around us, another friend and I encouraged each other by sharing prayers and scripture. Baring our broken hearts to each other, we helped each other breathe in the darkness, until the sun started shining again.

Though housebound during covid, I once again have time to write and have re-discovered the pleasure in putting pen to paper. And for good reason:

Letters are more personal because they contain my effort, my time, and my handwriting. Those notes are often in or tucked into one of my handmade cards, made or chosen with that person in mind. My hope is that I will lift their spirits, and as I work, mine is lifted as well.

They take more time, which means I am more careful as I consider each word and phrase. I can extinguish inflammatory words before I create firenados. With my emotions in check, I am less likely to discourage, hurt, or offend the reader. And when I share my emotions or concerns, I can be concise, sharing the whole story without interruptions and distractions, and leaving other “cans of worms” unopened.

Letters can be read and re-read by the recipient. It gives them time to consider their response, if one is needed. It limits the number of folks who may feel they have a right to weigh in with their opinion or share their story. But most importantly, it may be something that the reader needs to read again and again, a reminder that they are special and they are loved.

Let us all then leave behind letter of love and friendship, family and devotion, hope and consolation, so that the future generations will know what we valued and believed and achieved.

Marian Wright Edelman

Morning Break

Tags

Bible, faith, speaking, stamping, teacher

Morning Break registration is today, and since you’ll probably hear about it from time to time, I should explain what it’s all about! It’s a women’s outreach ministry at our church. Ladies from all ages and stages, backgrounds, nationalities, and religions join us for an 8 week session, 2 sessions per year. They register for one class for the 8 Wednesday mornings. Class options include painting, stained glass, knitting, stamping/card making, and scrapbooking. We even had a car mechanics class one year and it was very popular! Half-way through each morning, we gather together for a coffee break and a devotional speaker. In the past we’ve looked at Bad Girls of the Bible, Overcoming the Giants in our Lives and so much more. This year we’re looking at Psalm 23. Our theme is “Don’t Be Sheepish”.

I’ve been teaching stamping/card-making now for 5 years. I was so nervous at my first class that I thought I was going to throw up. After a few sessions, I volunteered to speak during the coffee time. I normally describe myself as a painfully shy wall-flower, but for some reason I entered my grade school’s Public Speaking Contest every year from Grade 3 to Grade 8. Standing up in front of the whole school and competing against kids who were grades ahead of me, seemed exhilarating. Then I hit high school and I have been deadly afraid ever since!! So why I volunteered in the first place is a bit of a mystery. But I have come to enjoy the exercise of research and writing (kind of like now with researching and writing this blog). I joke that I’m still deadly afraid, but I’ve learned to overcome a lot of my fears…or I’ve just gotten better at hiding it, even from myself!

Last Fall, some how, I became the Chair of the committee that oversees Morning Break. It’s been 6 months and I still can’t figure it out how that happened…I’ve never even been on the committee! In addition to those responsibilities, I am the pretty (ha!) “face” at the front who starts off the coffee break time (welcome, prayer requests, announcements and the morning joke). So not only do I have to stand up in front of approximately 60 women twice a year, I now get to do it approximately 18 times a year…not counting the announcement I had to do recently on a Sunday morning. This session I’m also teaching 2 classes…at the same time. This should be interesting!

Looking back, I can see how God has been stretching me, but I still feel extremely inadequate for the task. Someone once said that often the best person for a position of leadership is the one who least wants it. I tried to find who said it, but when I searched for quotes about leadership, I was bombarded with many stunning and incredibly intimidating quotes about leadership, power, victory and success, from Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, General Patton…men who led in great conflicts that changed the course of history! I’m certainly not prepared to fight any great conflicts or change the world. But I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store.

Just 5 More Minutes…Please?

Tags

food, stamping

I wrote today’s blog while I was waiting for Little Guy to finish his first karate lesson (obviously typing it later)…I feel like I’ve been running at least 5 minutes behind all day! Even in the little things, like sitting at the light waiting to turn left. There’s finally a break in traffic and I could go, except for the one pedestrian in a 5 mile radius, who is crossing the road and ends up at the exact spot that I want to be. It’s been a busy day, but I did get a lot accomplished.

I’ve been (at least) 5 minutes behind since we got out of bed this morning. It was 8:28 when we pulled out of the driveway – the school bell rings at 8:30. We made it in time, but it was too close for comfort! I now had a choice – grocery store to buy fruit for my class or home to shower. I’m sure my students are glad I chose the shower. I taught a stamping technique class (I’m a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator) to 5 fabulous ladies…and we made a fabulous mess too!

Out for lunch with a friend (because I’m 3 days behind in my grocery shopping) I had a crépe stuffed with cream cheese, raspberries and honey. That’s low-calorie, right?

Then I dashed off to the grocery store (and the bank machine in the store) at 2:00 – that meant I had half an hour to do both jobs that would normally take…longer. I headed straight to the ATM, deposited cheques and paid a bill. But I forgot to get a cart on the way, so I had to walk all the way around…to get outside…to get a cart! There’s no “chicken lane” in the grocery store! I made it through the store and into my car by 2:33 (I usually leave the house at 2:30 to get to the school early so I can get a legal parking spot). I headed home, unpacked the perishable grocery items, and emptied my oven (I pulled my Mom’s favourite trick when people are coming over…store things in the oven. I don’t usually do this but always check the oven before I turn it on because I’ve had more than one fire in my mother’s oven. I was smart enough to recognize my frazzled state earlier in the day, and had left a sticky note over the oven dial. Big gold star for me!) I put the roast in the now empty oven, raced to the school, scribbled 4 recipes down from Little Guy’s library book, went to the library to return said book …and home again to sew Little Guy’s crest on his karate uniform, rescue the roast and assist with homework, before heading out to karate!

We had to have a TV dinner…my dining room table is still covered with paper scraps, sponges, glue, and tea cups. Oops! I was supposed to go to a jewellery party tonight, but I just can’t muster the energy. There’s still a stack of dishes…and the rest of the groceries to put away…it is Little Guy’s bedtime and the day is nearly over. I still need just 5 minutes to get caught up!

Hidden Treasure

Tags

faith, music, stamping

Today has been a busy day and it’s far from over! I taught a card class this morning, and will be hosting a committee meeting, with dinner tonight. So I was going to write about (and even researched) setting the perfect table…but really, who cares?!? I’m not Martha Stewart. It looks really nice…I’m using my good china, my good “silver”, my tea cups, candles, pretty napkins…voila!

So what changed my mind? I found a treasure when I was cleaning yesterday. Remember the old expression, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. When I was helping clean up Big Guy’s place, he decided to get rid of his cassette tape/cd player so I brought it home. I miss music in the living room. Music has always played a huge role in my life… I have a box full of cassette tapes from my teenage/college years and so many of them are associated with memories, good and bad. Listening to them is like reconnecting with a long-lost friend. For one thing, I was spending a lot of time in my car and I always have music on in my car! I finally plugged it in yesterday afternoon when I was cleaning (I forgot how much more fun housework can be with music)! There was still a cassette tape in the machine (Steven Curtis Chapman)…it took me back to 1994-1995.

The first song was Burn the Ships. It was based on a historical event. In 1519, Cortez sailed to Mexico. After a time, some of the settles wanted to return to the homeland, so Cortez burned the ships. I listened in the car with Big Guy on the day we moved out of my parents’ place, and headed to the BIG CITY. My car was packed to the top, and my parents followed us in a rented van. We stopped and had a picnic at the rest station half-way to my new apartment. My aunt and my boyfriend (yup, Hubby now) were waiting when we finally arrived. My Mom stayed overnight that first night – it was so good to have her there! I was 22 (Big Guy was 5) and it was time to “burn the ship” and start our new life.

Another song reminded me of a devotional I led at a camping trip just before the move. I was the quietest person in the group, and yet I was the only one willing to step up and lead. A few others Big Guy and I sang at the top of our lungs in the car on our way to visit my parents…it’s a 2 ½ hour drive. I’ve done it so many times now, I think my car knows the way and I’m just along to keep it company! And still another was the song Hubby & I danced to at our wedding!

I can’t wait to pull out that box and dust it off. There are a lot of “old friends” that I want to visit. After all, it’s in looking back, that I can see how far God has brought me.

Play Date

Tags

friends, stamping

Yesterday I had a “play date” with a friend! We schedule them for our kids so they have a chance to relax and socialize, so why shouldn’t adults have “play dates” too? Anything worth doing requires effort and forethought. I am always embarrassed when I realize that I agreed to do something with someone, and SO much time has passed! So I scheduled a “play date”

A “play date” for me is getting together to scrapbook or make cards. That’s my hobby, the thing I like to do when I need to think about something besides home, kids, and life! I enjoy reliving the memories. I savour the colours, patterns and textures of the paper. I love playing with my toys (punches, stamps, ink, and of course, glitter glue). If I haven’t got time to pull stuff out, I flip through magazines, I browse online, or I pick away at small projects. But at the end of a few precious hours, even if I haven’t accomplished a lot, I breathe a sigh of satisfaction, before packing it all away.

Five years ago, I started teaching stamping and card making at our ladies’ ministry. That was a big deal for this painfully shy person. Two years ago, I became a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. I have come to love teaching workshops in my home. We drink too much tea, and nibble on goodies we wouldn’t normally entertain in our diets. I still get dreadfully nervous, but I’m excited at how I’ve “grown up” (not just out)! And I’d like to think that I’m helping other women get together for a “play date” too.

I was going to try something else a little playful this afternoon, but my plans fell through..and little guy has the sniffles too so we’ll have a p.j. day instead. Wednesday night was Crazy Hair Night at Awana, so I bought little guy blue hair gel. It looked really good…I wonder how it would look on me, or if anyone would notice. I might bring new meaning to the term “blue-haired old lady”!