I remember when I was young how excited I would be when the mail arrived. We lived three miles from town, so it was pretty much a dirt road leading toward the skyline of our small town. To me that view looked like the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. And when I would see the dust billow up on that road from a distance, I would look to see what vehicle emerged as it got closer. When I saw it was the mailman, my heart raced. Mail and packages provided a link to places beyond the solitude of the farm. My Aunt Bobbie and Aunt Lillian sent the best boxes. They felt like treasure chests, full of exotic things from their far off states of Texas and California. They would include books about people or places I had never experienced; or activities; or handmade Barbie doll gowns; or crafts; or leaves or rocks from where they lived; or baked, not store bought cookies; or fancy nuts like walnuts that tasted sweeter and were softer than the Planters peanuts that were staples in our house. A couple times a year these magic boxes would arrive with handwritten epistles of their latest activities, and, a lot of descriptions about the weather. I had already set an intention this year to send more snail mail cards to people. Now we are in this quarantine life where there is time to write letters and notes and send them off. I’ve received requests from friends a few times during this pandemic to send a card to their loved ones celebrating a birthday in isolation or needing some cheer. Even though I don’t know the recipients, I’ve drawn upon my heritage of trying to find cute cards and perhaps a little trinket from my yard to enclose. And yes, I have even shared about the weather. I realize I continue my family heritage of enjoying the art of sending and receiving mail. I don’t know what I would do without this link. I am concerned that funding is being cut for the US Postal Service. Just as I am concerned for the many students asked to learn on technology that they may not have available at home; or people asked to work from home that may not have a place to do so… or perhaps not even a home. I better not go on with concerns, because they are looming and growing larger each day. So today, I worked on cards and boxes to send to some loved ones. It brought me joy. I need to be creative because I can’t just go out and get something… so I’m working with things I have. I prepared a couple mailings to friends with bay leaves from my back yard. And I gathered what I call “Apocalypse” supplies for my adult children… gloves, homemade mask, bay leaves, recipes, homemade cookies, seeds to plant, lemons from our yard for my daughter in the midwest, another iPhone charger cord for my son, whose phone battery always needs charging. And I’ll probably think of a few more trinkets before I seal the box tomorrow. I have been blessed with a few cards from friends and they have been so uplifting. Who would have thought I would be back to this stage of longing to hear the mail delivery person arrive, and rushing to the box for links to the outside world. Who would have thought my boxes to my children would include items hoping to keep them safe from a virus. As we enter another day with more news of the virus, it came out that people may be most infectious with coronavirus before they show symptoms. The past informs us if we look at history of the Spanish Flu… that we will need to stay home longer to help prevent even more spread of this deadly virus. Celebrations and Memorials will continue to be different and often through a screen or a barrier. I pray this night for those researching and rushing to learn more about Coronavirus and COVID-19 so testing and vaccines can become available… sooner than later. I give thanks for surprises sent or received via the USPS! I give thanks for the solitude, once again, at this stage of life. I end with this profound, wise quote from Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” May it be so…
Originally Published to Facebook on April 16th, 2020 at https://www.facebook.com/creativecarolcelebrant/posts/154068819416651
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