time to pause

Childhood memories

–It is a special moment when you receive a card in the mail.

This has always been the case for me, from a young child to the grown adult that I am today. After my parents divorce, my mother would periodically send me letters. I always looked forward to receiving her letters, the excitement as a young child was pretty intense.

Generational Traditions

Near my birthday, my great Aunt Opal would send me a birthday card and it always made me smile. She never wrote very much but always made sure to put a twenty dollar bill inside of the envelope. She was a very funny woman and had the best memory. Even if I had not seen or talked to her in years, she would still send me a card. I never forgot that.

Fast forward to the days of adulthood, my grandmother always made time to send her Christmas cards out. I remember the moment I would receive mine, I would sit down and savor reading every word. She always wrote a little life update along with a note about how she’d better wrap it up so she could get it in the mail that day.

I loved the fact that she took the time to send me a card every year! The sweet simplicity of her thoughtful act spoke measures to me. Even though the distance between us was far, I felt close to her again when I read her cards.

The little details

I loved her cursive writing and as I read her card, I imagined her voice reading it to me. Memories of my childhood flooded back in with every card she sent.

As an adult, I moved away and didn’t see my grandmother as often. When you’re young, life gets busy and your priorities tend to get a little blurry. My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and as a result of that, she passed away soon after. I remember thinking that she was strong and in my mind, I thought she’d get through it. Unfortunately, her strength and will to live was not enough, the cancer took over and she lost her battle. Her death caught me by surprise, she was too young to die in my opinion. I was in my early twenties and had always imagined us growing much older together and her meeting my children.

I miss her, I miss our conversations and I miss the cards.

reflection …

One thing that I know today is how important the simple things like this can be. Christmas cards and thoughtful memories are all that I have left to remember her. Life may get hectic and its hard to make the time to send a note or call your loved ones … but know that time should be made to do exactly that! Take the call, write the letters, send the cards – be intentional about being human again! Bring back the traditions that should never have been allowed to die. The tradition of caring – the tradition of love!

Love your family a little more – take today and send them a note that lets them know you are thinking of them! I’m sure they will never forget it!

how about you?

Do you have any memories from your loved ones that you would like to share? I’d love to hear them.

If you are interested in having your photos taken this year — to share with your friends and family – please feel free to send me a message and I’d be happy to chat with you about what you have in mind. xoxo – Terial