I've Got Mail!

 
How often, these days, does one get anything good via snail mail? Most of it goes directly to the recycle bin, right? But I just got some really nice things. One of the envelopes came yesterday, but I was already so overwhelmed with the quality from other activities, I'll share it today.



I'll explain these clockwise, from the top. The first is a postcard from a lady I don't know at all. She read my most recent newspaper column, about Camp Martin Johnson, and Martin Gustave Johnson who donated the land, and felt compelled to write to me about it. I get a lot of general (almost 100% good) feedback about the monthly column, but less about specific topics. My last article must have resonated with a lot of people. This is the third specific response to it.

On the right is a card from my wonderful sister-in-law, Loretta. If you can't read the words, it says "You make me smile for so many reasons." Inside she wrote me a nice note. Well, shucks, Loretta... I don't know that I really have that effect on people, but you sure make me smile for thinking so!

At the bottom is a bookmark that Loretta enclosed. Hey! If you know that I'm working on fixing up a little trailer like that, and that its "name" is Rollin' in the Sonshine, you will appreciate how much I love that bookmark.

And, appropriately, on the left is a new book to put it in. This was written by a childhood semi-friend, Judy Updike. I have to qualify our relationship that way because we weren't quite the same age, and that can be a huge barrier to friendship in school. And we were both shy. Yes, I was painfully shy. I know she's also an introvert, so we never had much of a chance at becoming friends. But we both played some wicked field hockey. She went on to teach phys ed. We grew up in the same church. In fact, her mother was my 5th grade Sunday School teacher. Facebook brought us "together" again after 50 years or so.

I recently learned that she has written Broken for His Glory about her experiences and spiritual growth through a year of painful family losses. The book just came today, and I've managed to read 31 pages between the Tuesday madhouse of practices and meetings after work. Of course, I know the people she's writing about which makes it very real to me, but it's honest and will resonate with anyone who's experienced sudden life-changing losses (which is most of us, eh?)

Anyway, I'm going to stop writing this, so I can get back to reading that!

	See More Ukulele News for Loretta and me both smiling
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