Just in case you didn't get a card from me this year, I'm including the message I sent below. I don't have any of the actual cards I made left, however, so you will just have to use your imagination. The basic format was a fun folded card with seasonal embossed decorations on front, surrounding a small dark red envelope. If you open the card, the message below greeted you, along with a stamp quoting the Beatles "I get by with a little help from my friends." If you open the little red envelope, you get a glittery picture of snowy bridges or snowy vistas of Asian origin-- in that was the personal message. My secret is that the smaller personal cards meant I didn't have to think of as much to say to each person, nor spend as much time writing.
12.1.2006. For many of us, time is marked by events.
The birth of a child, the death of a pet, a graduation,
the start of a relationship, the end of a career...
I signed divorce papers last January, and since then,
a new period of my life has begun. It is full of challenges
and changes, but also of friends, family, and delightful
self-discoveries. My cat would like you to know that she,
also, has a central role in my life. She’s sitting in my lap
as I type this, knocking pens off my desk, and purring.
I have enjoyed setting up a home for my comfort,
and sharing it with the good friends I’ve made--
and I already had waiting-- in my new home town.
I had not believed a year ago that my life could be
so rich with friends. Thank you. You are they.
I am also learning to succeed as a graduate student.
It is not a graceful process, but I am learning much
about myself and about Library Science as I go forward.
Since that is the point of any education, I try to be content.
I am also discovering what I want my daily life to include.
Finally figuring out who I intend to be inside my skin.
I’m 28. Its about time. And I like me.
In the spirit of Joy, and the hope for Peace...
Happy Christmas to you and yours!
The birth of a child, the death of a pet, a graduation,
the start of a relationship, the end of a career...
I signed divorce papers last January, and since then,
a new period of my life has begun. It is full of challenges
and changes, but also of friends, family, and delightful
self-discoveries. My cat would like you to know that she,
also, has a central role in my life. She’s sitting in my lap
as I type this, knocking pens off my desk, and purring.
I have enjoyed setting up a home for my comfort,
and sharing it with the good friends I’ve made--
and I already had waiting-- in my new home town.
I had not believed a year ago that my life could be
so rich with friends. Thank you. You are they.
I am also learning to succeed as a graduate student.
It is not a graceful process, but I am learning much
about myself and about Library Science as I go forward.
Since that is the point of any education, I try to be content.
I am also discovering what I want my daily life to include.
Finally figuring out who I intend to be inside my skin.
I’m 28. Its about time. And I like me.
In the spirit of Joy, and the hope for Peace...
Happy Christmas to you and yours!
Even more exciting is the fact that I got these cards sent out BEFORE the 25th of December. I always start early-- and I have never before gotten the cards or newsletters actually SENT OUT until about New Year's. In fact, I have become so aware of my handicap with time that I usually make this a "seasonal" card. And I talk about both New Year's AND Christmas-- just in case.
Doing Christmas Cards is a bit like exercising: You are much more likely to actually DO IT, and enjoy the process, if you invite friends to come over and work on theirs at the same time. Stamping-Buddies. I highly recommend them.
The thing is-- we DO tend to mark time more by events than by dates. If you ask a middle-aged man to tell you where he worked after high school-- he will first tell you what year he graduated, because that was a big event in his life, and he has seperate memories of what came before, and what came after. Ask a writer how long she's been working on her latest book, and she'll remember the experience that sparked her to start it-- and then give you a time-frame based on that incident or event in her life.
The passing of time itself is actually very superficial. Hours, days, months, years-- just ask the Romans. We still use a calendar today that is loosely based on theirs... and they actually had to include a whole imaginary MONTH one year to get the calendar back on track with the actual movement of the earth and the changing seasons. No forced accounting of "leap years" for them!
In fact, as the earth moves farther from the sun, our hours are actually growing longer. Time is passing more slowly in a very physical sense. And those of you who remember how HOT it was on the west coast in September and October this year will agree that the traditional "summer months" aren't really all that descriptive of our world anymore. Our calendar of months has little to do with the passing of seasons these days. It is actually much more important that we count the challenges we've overcome, the seasons we've experienced, and the friends we've made, than specifying any number of candles on a cake. Those little flames tell us how many times we've passed completely around the Sun... but they don't tell us what we did or who we became during those rotations.
Surprised that I'm divorced? I am. Its not usually part of the plan when one marries. But as I said, time passes and people change. Its actually a bit like gaining membership into a very large secret society-- and as just about everyone you meet knows how painful it is to start over after a DIVORCE (oops, did I say that dirty word out loud??), they are usually very helpful and kind. I'm lucky that even my ex took this view of things. And I have mentioned him to you before-- he gets a football every year for Christmas.
Doing Christmas Cards is a bit like exercising: You are much more likely to actually DO IT, and enjoy the process, if you invite friends to come over and work on theirs at the same time. Stamping-Buddies. I highly recommend them.
The thing is-- we DO tend to mark time more by events than by dates. If you ask a middle-aged man to tell you where he worked after high school-- he will first tell you what year he graduated, because that was a big event in his life, and he has seperate memories of what came before, and what came after. Ask a writer how long she's been working on her latest book, and she'll remember the experience that sparked her to start it-- and then give you a time-frame based on that incident or event in her life.
The passing of time itself is actually very superficial. Hours, days, months, years-- just ask the Romans. We still use a calendar today that is loosely based on theirs... and they actually had to include a whole imaginary MONTH one year to get the calendar back on track with the actual movement of the earth and the changing seasons. No forced accounting of "leap years" for them!
In fact, as the earth moves farther from the sun, our hours are actually growing longer. Time is passing more slowly in a very physical sense. And those of you who remember how HOT it was on the west coast in September and October this year will agree that the traditional "summer months" aren't really all that descriptive of our world anymore. Our calendar of months has little to do with the passing of seasons these days. It is actually much more important that we count the challenges we've overcome, the seasons we've experienced, and the friends we've made, than specifying any number of candles on a cake. Those little flames tell us how many times we've passed completely around the Sun... but they don't tell us what we did or who we became during those rotations.
Surprised that I'm divorced? I am. Its not usually part of the plan when one marries. But as I said, time passes and people change. Its actually a bit like gaining membership into a very large secret society-- and as just about everyone you meet knows how painful it is to start over after a DIVORCE (oops, did I say that dirty word out loud??), they are usually very helpful and kind. I'm lucky that even my ex took this view of things. And I have mentioned him to you before-- he gets a football every year for Christmas.
1 comment:
Your cards were great this year. Good job - on everything.
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