Letter #35 - Bob

One of my many hats is photographer.  I discovered my love for photography sometime in high school, and, wanting to encourage my love, my dad made me a deal.  If I could keep my room clean for an entire month (by his standards), I could have his canon rebel to call my very own.  It is the only month in the history of my life that my room was spotless.

As I continued to develop my skill, I was fortunate enough to meet Bob.  Bob became one of my photo-mentors.  I was introduced to him through his brother-in-law (another one of my photo-mentors) at one of our church's World Conferences.  Bob and Jim were both staff photographers, and allowed me to tag along with them the whole week, learning, shooting, stealing their gear (with their permission...) and feeding my addiction... :o)

Several years ago, my work took me on a short trip to Denver (where Bob lives).  I had planned to stay an extra day to hang out with two of my colleagues who were going to be there from Mexico.  When I arrived, I discovered that my colleagues had neglected to inform me they were no longer able to extend their trips, and so I was stuck in Denver for a day all by myself.  It turned out to be a really really cool experience.  I hadn't had many opportunities to ever really travel solo before... for a change, I got to plan my whole day doing everything that *I* wanted to do, without having to worry about everyone else's interests.  It was really neat.  Somewhere in my planning process, it dawned on me that Bob lived in the city with his wife.  I got a hold of him, and he offered to meet up with me when he got off work, and take me up into the mountains to possibly get some good nature shots. It ended up being a really lovely evening, but I missed out on some photos as my batteries were pretty much dead by the time we connected.

I never write to Bob.  He and his wife get our Christmas card each December, but beyond that, I send the occasional email or we connect in person every few years at church events.  It was neat to be sitting down to intentionally send him a note.  I didn't write a whole lot, but it felt good to be connected to him in my heart in that moment.  I look forward to continuing to run into him over the years to come, and continuing to compare our photography and admire each others' work.

Letter #34 - Meredith

I've had a rough few years.  I've been dealing with some personal demons, and processing some tragedies that occurred in the life of my family.  As I've continued to work through some of these things I have recently found myself at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to religion.  I used to be very active and involved in my church, and part of me misses that very much, especially when it comes to the times I was able to interact with the kids and help be a positive influence in their lives.  Because of some of my own things I'm not currently not emotionally in a place to continue to be involved at that level, but I do very much still want those connections.  This project has allowed me an inbetween place that I hadn't had before.  It allows me to connect with those kids, without risking my own issues being challenged before I'm ready to face them at that level.

Meredith is one of those kids.  She's a camper I've always tried to keep an eye on.  She's struggled with a lot of the same issues most girls her age experience, and I've tried to be a positive influence, if from a more distanced setting.  Meredith and I recently connected on facebook, which has given me an entirely new way to communicate with her.  I decided this week to send her a letter as an attempt on my part to establish a more concrete relationship with her.  The experience dredged up some of the reflections above, and made me consider the reasons I felt led to reach out to her.  It was a really interesting and useful experience for me, and I was able to finally pinpoint a way in which I can still share of myself, without doing so in a capacity that would quickly make me feel cynical or inauthentic.  I was glad to find that outlet.

Letter #33 - Jeremy

I've mentioned in previous posts that I have a handful of pre-teen/early teen kids that I try to keep in touch with, or kind of mentor.  One of these kids is Jeremy.  Jeremy has been one of my campers for years, he's this wisp of a kid with an absolutely super brain.  His parents are both super smart, and as a result he's an adorable super nerd.  One of his hobbies is that he has a stamp collection.  Back when I was traveling a bunch for work, Jeremy's dad told me about his collection and asked if I would be willing to send him a few postcards or something on my travels so he could add to the collection.  Since then, I have tried to go above and beyond that request... the letter I wrote Jeremy today is evidence of that :o)  A friend of mine recently went on a trip to Israel.  I asked if he would be willing to send me a postcard.  Not only so I could hear from him, but so I can also now pass the Israeli stamp on to Jeremy!

This post will now also double as a request to all of my readers who may travel.  If you are willing to send me postcards with cool stamps that I can continue to send to Jeremy, that would be so cool.  I'd get the mail, and he'd get the stamps!  :o)  If you are willing to do this, and need my address, just send me a note or leave a comment and I'll get it to you!

Thank you readers!

Letter #32- John

As the current crisis in Egypt continues to unfold, I have found myself often thinking of my old friend John.  John is a former US Ambassador, and someone I had the privilege of meeting because of my father.  When I was a sophomore in high school, I had aspirations of getting into politics.  I had the opportunity to participate in one of my school's "enrichment weeks" which was in partnership with Close Up Washington DC.  During my trip I was given permission to skip an afternoon of activities and spend some time with John, who had prepared an incredible tour of the city for me, including meetings with several of his contacts in various organisations across the city, serving various functions.  The tour concluded with a private tour of the white house, including stops in the press room, oval office, and situation room (I got to sit in the President's chair!!)  It was an awesome experience.

During my undergrad I gradually shied away from politics and decided to pursue teaching.  Now I find myself drifting back toward the political realm as I pursue my Masters in Social Justice... but John has always stayed with me in the impact he has had on my worldview.  Having been able to hear stories of some of his experiences, having been given the great gift of meeting some of the people he introduced me to, and having kept his insights in my mind as I've matured, I have been blessed by his influence in my life.

I decided to share some of these insights with John in a letter I wrote him this week.  I have not kept in close touch with John in recent years, in fact I had to send him an email to request his current mailing address.  I am hoping that he will be able to take some pride in his impact on my life, and that he will be honoured by the fact that I can, in part, credit him for my current course of study.  As I wrote my letter, my mind was flooded with memories from that DC trip, as well as thoughts and reflections that have floated through my mind over the years.  The simple act of writing his letter made me really consider the path that has brought me to this moment in my academic and professional career and what has helped shape the goals I now have for myself.  That in and of itself was an experience I don't often get to enjoy, it was very cool.

Letter #31 - Renatta

Renatta is my third classmate who was absent from class this past weekend.  She is one of my classmates that I haven't had much opportunity to get to know very well yet.  She tends to flip flop between being very vocal in class and just sitting back and absorbing the discussion.  Last class she was struggling with deciding whether she was going to continue in the program or not, so my letter was one of encouragement, hoping she will decide to rejoin us in February... if she decides this is the path for her!

I am hoping if Renatta does come back next month, that my letter will have opened a door for us to start getting to know each other better.

Letter #30 - Aunt Pat

I have a very large adopted family.  Aunt Pat has been a part of that adopted family for as long as I can remember.  She has another half, Uncle Jim, who passed away last year.  It still feels weird to say her name without his.  When I was doing my undergrad, I spent a lot of my summers with them in their home in Toronto.  They were a huge part in helping me to understand what healthy relationships should look like.  Since Uncle Jim's death, I have quadrupled my efforts to keep in touch with Aunt Pat.  We are eagerly anticipating the results of her recent eye surgery in the hopes that she will be able to come and visit us soon and get a much needed break from her current every day life.

Writing to Aunt Pat always fills me with very intense emotions, and I usually need a few moments to sit and reflect after I've finished writing her a letter.  I hope my card brings a smile to her face and a hug to her heart.  I have a deep love and appreciation for Aunt Pat and just keep holding her in my heart through this time of transition for all of us.

Letter #29 - Judy

As I mentioned, last week was a class weekend for me.  This time around, 3 of my classmates were missing for various reasons.  I decided to send letters to all of them - both to let them know they were missed, and to just connect and let them know a bit of what they missed since they'll have to make up the course at a later date.

Judy is a very strong woman.  She is dedicated to Social Justice and is always very friendly.  She makes an awesome cheerleader for our Tribe and her presence was sorely missed this weekend.  Writing to Judy also gave me an opportunity to debrief a little bit as well.  Class had been an intense experience for me this time around, so I was glad to have the chance to reflect a little as I wrote her.