Sometimes we meet people under odd circumstances. Becoming roommates is one of those odd circumstances to me. "Hey meet this person you will now share very close living quarters with for the next year, hope you like them!" When I was a freshman in college, I met Danielle. We were roommates. We had spoken once or twice on the phone before we moved into the dorms, and she has this hilarious story about how she was convinced I was blonde.
Danielle and I ended up being an excellent match. We turned into really good friends, and ended up living together for 3 years. Danielle recently moved to the Detroit area, which has allowed us to hang out a lot more. She is one of the few friends I have around here who would much rather do non-standard things (aka not grab dinner and a movie, instead, go to the zoo in the middle of winter). I love it because it allows me to do stuff I wouldn't ordinarily get the chance to do (like go to the zoo in the middle of winter). She's also my "culture" friend, she loves to go to plays, musicals, etc, which a lot of my friends in the area don't really get into, so when I want to do stuff like that, she's my first call :o)
Today I sent Danielle a note because she has been having a rough week. I wanted to send her some encouragement. Writing to Danielle let's me remember some of the awesome times we've had together, and makes me feel good because I really love spending time with her. Her conversations almost always make me feel better about life, even if it happens to be sucking at the time. Everyone should have a Danielle in their life. For real.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Letter #41 - Jason
Social Media is a fascinating thing. It allows us to connect with people from all over the world at the simple click of a mouse. I have to smile sometimes at the concerns expressed by "older" people in my life over communicating with complete strangers. Not that there aren't valid safety issues, but in many respects, friends on facebook are a lot like the pen pals of past generations. Communicating with someone you may have never met face to face, sharing whatever part of you and your life you feel comfortable sharing with them, engaging in a relationship without having ever seen the way they dress or hearing their voice.
The creation of this blog was meant mostly to give me something to track this project. I didn't particularly care if anyone else ever read it or got anything out of it... if they did that was a bonus. One of my cyber-friends, Jason, apparently does read this blog, and it does appear to mean something to him. When I posted an earlier blog post on my Facebook page and invited friends wishing to receive a letter at some point to be sure I had their addresses, he sent me his. I thought that was awesome. Not only was my project impacting someone, but they wanted to be a part of it now too!
Last night I finally finished off a research paper I've been neck-deep in for over a week. I celebrated by powering down and working on some letters and reading for fun for a change. Jason will be the recipient one of the letters I wrote. Having only ever corresponded with Jason on Facebook, it was kind of cool to be addressing him in a completely new way. It was surprising to me that a change in medium could make such a difference in the way I approached the communication. I also realised through adding him to my list, that Jason lives really close to my husband and I... small world!
I hope he enjoys the letter, I sure enjoyed writing it :o)
The creation of this blog was meant mostly to give me something to track this project. I didn't particularly care if anyone else ever read it or got anything out of it... if they did that was a bonus. One of my cyber-friends, Jason, apparently does read this blog, and it does appear to mean something to him. When I posted an earlier blog post on my Facebook page and invited friends wishing to receive a letter at some point to be sure I had their addresses, he sent me his. I thought that was awesome. Not only was my project impacting someone, but they wanted to be a part of it now too!
Last night I finally finished off a research paper I've been neck-deep in for over a week. I celebrated by powering down and working on some letters and reading for fun for a change. Jason will be the recipient one of the letters I wrote. Having only ever corresponded with Jason on Facebook, it was kind of cool to be addressing him in a completely new way. It was surprising to me that a change in medium could make such a difference in the way I approached the communication. I also realised through adding him to my list, that Jason lives really close to my husband and I... small world!
I hope he enjoys the letter, I sure enjoyed writing it :o)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Letter #40 - Connie Sue
Sometimes it's difficult to remember that the kids who were kids when I last saw them in person are now teenagers and young adults. That presents a challenge when I write to them because I have to be very conscious of my tone and language. Instead of asking them how school is, I have to ask what they're studying, or if they've decided on what they want to do when they graduate. Instead of using phrases like "I hope you are having fun" it's "what kinds of stuff are you doing these days?" It puts me in a reflective mode as I remember letters I used to get from older friends as I was growing up.
Letter #40 went to a girl I know named Connie Sue. I met Connie Sue at a church camp in Alaska the same year I met my husband. I got talked into helping out with the Junior High class and ended up having a really fun time getting to know the 10 kids in the class and spending time with them. We taught each other crazy campfire songs, made s'mores, wandered around nature preserves, etc. It was overall just a really neat week. Connie Sue, her brother and her cousin were all in that class, and we spent a lot of time watching the family dynamics unroll. It was cool to see that even though they picked on each other a lot, they also still liked each other quite a bit, similar to my brother and I at those ages.
I sent Connie Sue a wedding photo and invited her to look me up if she was on facebook (I haven't been able to find her there yet). We have exchanged a handful of letters over the years, but I'm hoping this one will maybe invite a more regular exchange. She was a really neat kid and I'd love to get to know the young woman she's grown into since I last saw her!
Letter #40 went to a girl I know named Connie Sue. I met Connie Sue at a church camp in Alaska the same year I met my husband. I got talked into helping out with the Junior High class and ended up having a really fun time getting to know the 10 kids in the class and spending time with them. We taught each other crazy campfire songs, made s'mores, wandered around nature preserves, etc. It was overall just a really neat week. Connie Sue, her brother and her cousin were all in that class, and we spent a lot of time watching the family dynamics unroll. It was cool to see that even though they picked on each other a lot, they also still liked each other quite a bit, similar to my brother and I at those ages.
I sent Connie Sue a wedding photo and invited her to look me up if she was on facebook (I haven't been able to find her there yet). We have exchanged a handful of letters over the years, but I'm hoping this one will maybe invite a more regular exchange. She was a really neat kid and I'd love to get to know the young woman she's grown into since I last saw her!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Letter #39 - Bob
I have had many blessings in my life. One of these blessings has included nearly endless opportunities to meet new people. This can include celebrities, CEOs for Fortune 50 companies, and normal every day people like Bob. When I met Bob he was working at the Royal Park Hotel, where my boss at the time and I basically lived for 2 years while we completed a leadership seminar we were conducting.
I used to love it when Bob was on staff for our dinners, and would spend time chatting with him while the rest of the group mingled or talked business. Bob would also let me sneak as many maraschino cherries as I wanted from his stash behind the bar, and always gave me extras in my drinks.
Awhile ago, I received news from one of Bob's colleagues that he had retired, and that he was battling cancer. She sent me a link to the blog his family was using to keep loved ones posted on his condition, and I have diligently followed his highs and lows as he and his family struggle through this incredibly difficult time. At the end of last year, I succeeded in getting a snail mail address for Bob, so this week I'm finally getting around to sending him a letter. I tried to balance my message between just catching up and still acknowledging the struggle he's going through. I continue to hold him in my heart in the hopes that his health will improve, his spirits (from all of the postings) appear to be strong most days, so I hope his body can keep up with that spirit.
I used to love it when Bob was on staff for our dinners, and would spend time chatting with him while the rest of the group mingled or talked business. Bob would also let me sneak as many maraschino cherries as I wanted from his stash behind the bar, and always gave me extras in my drinks.
Awhile ago, I received news from one of Bob's colleagues that he had retired, and that he was battling cancer. She sent me a link to the blog his family was using to keep loved ones posted on his condition, and I have diligently followed his highs and lows as he and his family struggle through this incredibly difficult time. At the end of last year, I succeeded in getting a snail mail address for Bob, so this week I'm finally getting around to sending him a letter. I tried to balance my message between just catching up and still acknowledging the struggle he's going through. I continue to hold him in my heart in the hopes that his health will improve, his spirits (from all of the postings) appear to be strong most days, so I hope his body can keep up with that spirit.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Letter #38 - Brad
The advent of Facebook has made birthdays AWESOME to me. Gone are the days of people maybe not remembering, or not even knowing that it's your birthday. Now you can get birthday greetings from people you've never even met, or maybe know distantly, or haven't seen in 30 years but keep in touch with once a week by commenting on each others' status or photos.
This project is intended to focus on good old fashioned mail, so for letter #39 I'm using some of the knowledge Facebook has provided me with in order to bring some good old fashioned birthday greetings to a friend of mine. Brad is turning 18 this week. It seems crazy to me because it seems only yesterday he was one of those awkward little kids running around church camp bossing his little brother around (as an older sibling I can relate). I had the great pleasure of taking Brad's senior portraits last summer. He's turned into such a great kid, and has the whole world opening up to him as he finishes up his high school career and begins to contemplate the new chapter of his life.
I wish him so much success and have enjoyed watching him grow up. I hope his birthday is amazing and that he enjoys receiving something as ancient as a birthday card.
This project is intended to focus on good old fashioned mail, so for letter #39 I'm using some of the knowledge Facebook has provided me with in order to bring some good old fashioned birthday greetings to a friend of mine. Brad is turning 18 this week. It seems crazy to me because it seems only yesterday he was one of those awkward little kids running around church camp bossing his little brother around (as an older sibling I can relate). I had the great pleasure of taking Brad's senior portraits last summer. He's turned into such a great kid, and has the whole world opening up to him as he finishes up his high school career and begins to contemplate the new chapter of his life.
I wish him so much success and have enjoyed watching him grow up. I hope his birthday is amazing and that he enjoys receiving something as ancient as a birthday card.
Letter #37 - Diane
I've mentioned before that it's inevitable certain letters will automatically lead me to my next letter recipient. Dave was an example of this. Thinking of Dave led me to think about Diane. Diane was my boss and minister when I was an undergrad. She spent 2 years ministering to me and trying to get me to move into the Journey House, then to become the Resident Assistant. She succeeded on all fronts, and I'm so glad for it. I spent many, MANY hours in Diane's office working on projects, chatting about life, escaping my housemates to get homework done, etc. She is a wonderful woman and a natural cheerleader. She could always tell when something was wrong, and even if she couldn't help me fix the problem, she knew how to help make me feel a bit better.
Writing to Diane brought me back to the house... sitting at my desk and hearing her call a greeting around the corner as she came up the stairs to say hello or check in. Watching her face light up when someone would say something funny or share some good news. Listening to her lead a harmony line during hymn sings, watching her lead us in a capella verses, hearing the vacuum turn on and knowing she'd arrived for the day... there are days in my life now, sitting at home by myself, where I would just kill for her to show up at the door and invite me out to a coffee shop.
Writing to Diane brought me back to the house... sitting at my desk and hearing her call a greeting around the corner as she came up the stairs to say hello or check in. Watching her face light up when someone would say something funny or share some good news. Listening to her lead a harmony line during hymn sings, watching her lead us in a capella verses, hearing the vacuum turn on and knowing she'd arrived for the day... there are days in my life now, sitting at home by myself, where I would just kill for her to show up at the door and invite me out to a coffee shop.
Letter #36 - Dave
I never really got to know my grandfathers. As a result, I tend to swoon over grandfatherly men (in the awwww sweet kind of way, not the grossly inappropriate age difference kind of way). When I was doing my undergrad, my pastor was one of these types (a young grandfather though). His wife was this incredibly sweet lady and he was this cranky man with a super soft side that he preferred most people didn't notice. I fell into the category of people who were allowed to shamelessly exploit that soft side and make him hug me a lot. Whenever I get to see him now that I've moved away from East Lansing, I get big hugs and enthusiastic requests for details on my life since he's last seen me. The last time I saw him, I was thrilled to hear that things in his life had done an almost 180 (he'd had a rough few years there!) and that he was practically floating he was so happy. It was awesome to see.
Dave is another person who is on my Christmas card list and doesn't ever hear from me outside of that unless we see each other in person somewhere. As I contemplated how to start my letter off to him, I was overcome with memories from times spent with that congregation, with Dave and his wife, with Dave's mother before she passed away. As grumpy as he could get when I lived there, he still had a beautiful heart that almost always shone through. He is a compassionate man, and I am so blessed to know him. He has brought amazing ministry to my life, and I doubt he has any idea this is the case.
Dave is another person who is on my Christmas card list and doesn't ever hear from me outside of that unless we see each other in person somewhere. As I contemplated how to start my letter off to him, I was overcome with memories from times spent with that congregation, with Dave and his wife, with Dave's mother before she passed away. As grumpy as he could get when I lived there, he still had a beautiful heart that almost always shone through. He is a compassionate man, and I am so blessed to know him. He has brought amazing ministry to my life, and I doubt he has any idea this is the case.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)