You’ve Got Mail!

Years ago, when I was visiting my mother, she came in from the mailbox and tossed the letters on the kitchen table. “Nothing but long envelopes with windows,” she said, meaning nothing but bills and ads. I remembered that one of the women in leadership in the Bible Study I was teaching had mentioned that she had written to her aunt every day for about nine months until the aunt died. I decided this would be something that I could do so I began sending her a postcard every day, at least every day the carrier picked up the mail from my mailbox. During this time I was often traveling in Asia so I did miss sometimes.

There usually was nothing of import written on the card, just everyday things such as, “I did the laundry today and folded the fresh clothes but I had push Magic, the cat, out of way since she wanted to sleep on them all curled up in the warm load, fresh from the dryer.” Sometimes it was only, “I was thinking of how Daddy used to line up rows of coins every Sunday for us to take to Sunday School and church.”

I started writing postcards to her when she was in her early 80’s. One day as she stood holding a bunch of the cards, she asked my oldest sister, “Why is Jan doing this?” Lyla answered, “Because she loves you.” It was such a small and easy way of saying, “I’m thinking of you,” “I care about you,” and “I love you.”

Mother lived to be 97 and as she aged, sometimes things became a little confused. After a while if someone sent a card it was always from me, just as, if someone gave her a handkerchief, it was always from my sister LaVerne. We didn’t care, we wanted her to know that we all cared.

Now, my oldest sister, Lyla, is in a convalescent home struggling to regain function after a series of strokes and my sister, Eunice, is pretty much confined to the chair in her bedroom, unless there are some strong young people to help her down the stairs. So I have started up the postcard sending service again. This time I am scanning old photos, printing them on photo paper size 4x6, putting postcard backing on them and sending them to my sisters. Aren’t computers wonderful? I have sent pictures of our parents before they were married, wedding photos, graduation pictures, pictures of us all when we were little and anything else I think would interest them. They both look forward to receiving them. Eunice says she keeps them beside her chair and looks at them all the time. Lyla says that she shows them to all her visitors. I am so happy that such a little thing can bring a little happiness.

You’ve got mail!

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