Monthly Archives: February 2011

Kids these days…

I know you’ve seen them–in restaurants, on the bus, walking through stores–young folks with their eyes glued to their smart phone screens, texting away.  I sometimes worry that all that screen time will have adverse effects on their attention span, social skills, … Continue reading

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National Day of Unplugging

A group of Jewish artists who are members of Reboot, a non-profit designed to “‘reboot’ the cultures, traditions and rituals of Jewish life” have developed a Sabbath Manifesto to create a modern way of observing a day of rest (the Sabbath).

I believe that the ten principles of their manifesto can serve as a helpful restorative to all of us modern folks–Jewish or not–if we observed it at least once a week. Here’s the list:

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Rainy day notes

It’s a gray, rainy day. But I was immesurably cheered up by two notes I received in the mail. One from an old college professor just sending a little update and another from my sister cheering me up and cheering me on after a recent bout of self pity. Yay! The healing powers of snail mail!
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Birthday request update

For my birthday this year, I made a request to friends and family to send me a letter or note via snail mail.  I have already posted a picture of a day when personal snail mail rivaled junk mail and I’ve had … Continue reading

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Darwin’s birthday

I was out of town the weekend of Darwin’s birthday (February 12), but I wanted to wish him a belated birthday and point my readers to the Darwin Correspondence Project.  It’s a collection of every letter of Darwin’s that they … Continue reading

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Being thankful

I’m writing a thank you note to my neighbors who fed me a beautiful meal on Friday.  I just sent a thank you note to my aunt and uncle for hosting me last weekend in Maryland.  And I’m still working … Continue reading

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Postcards from the edge

My friend just moved from Minnesota to Alabama.  She sent this post card as her change of address note to me.  Those ladies look like they meant business!  Thanks, Carrie, for the snail mail and for the bit of American … Continue reading

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Posted in Fun in My Mailbox!, Funny, History | 1 Comment

Egyptian pen pals

In high school, waaaaay back in the early 90s, I had Egyptian pen pals.  They were two guys named Sameh and Aiman, both college students.  Sameh was majoring in engineering and wanted to be a police officer.  Aiman was an English major and … Continue reading

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History of love letters and valentines

John Walsh at the Independent in the U.K. asks “Have we lost the art of writing love letters?”  He provides a nice history of love letters and St. Valentine.  He closes with this paragraph: Do people send each other love … Continue reading

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Writing a love letter…

It’s Valentine’s Day.  I am listening to Natalie Cole’s “Love Letter” (listen here).  I’m writing a love letter to my darling.  I hope you are, too. Write it down, it matters.

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