Indulge me. Take a deep breath in, and exhale. It’s 2019. Time to take stock and reflect, set goals, make resolutions. Four days in, I’m still knotted up in details for improving myself. Yes, I’d like a full makeover, but realistically, let’s be kind. So, I’m reminded of a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of […]
“the Ghost of an idea…”
Charles Dickens began writing A Christmas Carol in October 1843. At that time, he was suffering from “a hideous cold,” and was in the midst of a financial crisis. After five years of economic success, Dickens had overextended his finances, his newer books were not selling as had been anticipated, and he was forced […]
“Gift wrapped words”
So what’s your plan? Cards or no cards- for this holiday season? What have you decided? Holiday greetings are all about connecting with people the old fashioned way with snail mail. It could be in the form of a photo card, a commercial greeting card, a handmade craft card, or a family’s annual newsletter. This piece […]
Signature Battle
Signatures are fluid entities. If you’re tired or hurried, your name might appear differently than if you were carefully signing a birthday card. Add all the different ways technology asks us to sign, with a stylus on a screen or with a finger on a tablet. I’m always amazed at how my name changes with […]
Unique Holiday Cards
With the holidays quickly approaching, I want to share with you two lovely card designs that have crossed my path. Designed by Ray Barber, they feature his exquisite typography. Both cards offer a one word greeting when folded, then open up to display a glorious message inside. Without a doubt, these are frame-worthy keepsakes. […]
2018 Graceful Envelope Winners
Whatever the Weather… As a former letter carrier, I can talk from experience about the daily challenges the weather poses. During the course of a single day, a kaleidoscope of possibilities can occur with rain, chill, humidity, varying degrees of sunlight, heat, and wind. Snow, hail, sleet, and ice feature big during Winter months when […]
Royal thanks and 21st century courtesy
Much is known about the beautiful and tragic life of Princess Diana, as she lived in the Royal “fish tank.” Yet of all the things we do know of this young woman, perhaps many of us are unaware of her great fondness for letter writing. Diana Spencer was trained at an early age to write […]
The Healing Power of Letters
I write letters to folks that are facing challenges, be it an illness or some misfortune. I want to let them know that they are not alone. That someone is thinking of them. No reply is ever expected. I have a dear friend I write to who can not write back, due to health issues. […]
Timothy Matlack
Speaking of “writing history,” The Declaration of Independence is the perfect subject for this week. The Committee of Five or the brain trust of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman formulated the concepts. The wording was Jeffersonian. And the final draft written by Thomas Jefferson was engrossed by the famous […]
Writing History
On the surface, writing by hand in a diary is a solitary experience…jotting down whatever is noteworthy from the day. If the entries are dated, a timeline emerges with days, weeks, seasons unfolding into a record of one’s personal living history. Upon closer inspection, a diary is more than a collection of musings, it is […]
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