why stamps matter: the art of blessing
I know some people (insert Ryan here) don’t love mail as much as I do but I think I will always see the value of a handwritten note. Give me a present and I am happy but send me mail and I am over the moon. No matter how much technology continues to progress there is nothing that can replace seeing an envelope with your name on it in the familiar loopy, cute or messy writing of a friend.
The stamps that I bought this week reminded me how much the small things matter. I was delighted as I asked the post office worker to see the current stamps when she flipped open the book to these gems:
My love for mail began when Ryan and I were doing the long distance thing in college. I would not necessarily recommend dating long distance for all of college but maybe one good thing is that it forced us to write letters. I used to stay up late in my dorm room, surrounded by piles of magazine clippings, song lyrics typed out, fortune cookies messages, and anything else that I could include in a card for him. Now that we are married, those pieces of art are stored in a special box and I consider our letters to one another almost as precious as photographs. It is the attention to detail on those notes and hand designed postal-friendly crafts that translate to love in my mind.
These days I try to write just as many cards although I confess, many of them are not handmade. However, I have found a few card designers that suit me just write (pun intended). I just realized that it may be weird that I have favorite card designers. Either way, I will share:
First and foremost, Curly Girl Designs whose pieces span from cards all the way to BPA free water bottles. She is living the dream. I would say that tied for a close second is any card by writer Holley Gerth who designs cards for Dayspring. Those are the cute cards that you find in the aisles of your Christian bookstore.
All of this to say that we each express ourselves and our care for people in different ways. For me it is through sitting down to write someone a note with my favorite black sharpie. Maybe for you it isn’t a card or a craft but serving someone with your time, helping them with an errand they just don’t have space for in a busy week or treating them to coffee. It takes only a little time and effort to step outside ourselves and do something to encourage someone else in their day. I want to challenge each of us to find the ways that it feels natural to love on others and go for it. Chances are it will bring you just as much joy yourself. You may just find yourself delighted over a new stamp design.
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