Anyone Want to Help Send Letters to the Elderly?

    COVID hit our house a few weeks ago and I had to transition all of my plans during that time. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the visit to Mainsail for the crochet class. We are past our quarantine period, but now that Illinois is back to phase 3 restrictions, we are limited to what we can do in person. Thank goodness we did not spread the virus throughout our home and Clay was fortunate to have mild symptoms. The virus seems to have a mind of its own and even with the given data, it is truly difficult to discern who it will transfer to and who it will pass over. Globally we have all been cautious with our elderly population. As we learned quickly it is deadliest for them. We are desperately trying to keep them safe. In doing so, we are keeping them isolated and ultimately lonely. 

    During the holiday season, many people spend time and money giving back. I would like to take some time and find a way we as a community can give back to our family, friends, and neighbors that are spending most of their days in isolation. That being said I am looking for people to participate in sending cards or letters to people we know could use a ray of sunshine.  

    Has anyone out there in the cyber world ever had a pen-pal? I had a couple in my day. The best one I had lived ACROSS THE STREET!!!! Literally no joke. My neighbor and I would hear lots of fun stories about people having pen pals in faraway places. She and I both tried to find pen-pals who lived a great distance from us. I can remember having one in Australia, Mexico, and Florida. We would have some success. However, typically after a few letters back and forth the communication would fade. Back then letters from Australia and Mexico took a REALLY LONG time to arrive. I quickly lost interest due to being an impatient person. I believe it was my friend Charise, that came up with the idea for her and me to be pen pals. The turn around on a letter going across the street was pretty speedy, LOL! We would walk to the mailbox on the corner and drop our letters in. I can remember doing the traditional mailbox routine...pull the handle on the blue metal box, place the envelope in, close the box. Of course, mailbox etiquette says you always had to pull the handle again to make sure the letter successfully dropped into the box. The postman would deliver them. Looking back it was very comical. At the time we were overjoyed to receive the letters, complete with sparkle stickers and bubble letters, in our mailboxes. Living in the current world of COVID and having my grandmother quarantined in her assisted living care center got me thinking about all the people out there sitting day in and day out having little contact with the outside world. I wanted to come up with an idea as to how we could help them and bring a little bit of sunshine to their day! That being said I am hoping to gather names and addresses of people that would enjoy receiving a card or letter from someone. Whether we have kiddos send something or even us adults drop a card or note in the mail. 

    Please feel free to participate on your own and simply send something to loved ones in need of some extra TLC this time of year. However, if you would like to add some extra love or you know of someone needing some extra sunshine. Please e-mail me at kbFAWN@gmail.com or use FB messenger. If you would like to help or have kids that would be willing to help, let me know. And if you have a loved one, friend, or neighbor that would enjoy receiving a card or note, please pass their info along. Maybe we can create some pen pals, or even just a card in the mail, handmade or store-bought. 

Virtual hugs to those in need today! 

kbFAWN

PS...Just to give you a little laugh today...

I woke up at 5am, to let our elderly dog Anna out. Only to discover our dogs, Buddy and Annabelle (to give you a visual, they behave about as well as the Bumpus Hounds from A Christmas Story) had not only gotten into the garbage but also ate the peanut butter cookies Tylar had made last night. Leaving crumbs everywhere! Along with Ty leaving a sinkful of baking sheets and mixing bowls staring at me. Taking some deep breaths, making a cup of coffee, and settling in to watch the news before ZOOMing with my students. I received a text from the yoga studio asking if I had some of the supplies needed for a class this morning. Ugh, of course, I did. So no time for coffee! I raced over to the studio and was greeted by a disgruntled yoga instructor. (who I discovered had just finished three, 12-hour shifts at the hospital she works at, not to mention it is her birthday tomorrow.) Upon getting home from the studio with only a few minutes to spare before needing to log on the ZOOM. I discovered the Bumpus Hounds had peed AND pooped in the house. Could the day have gotten much worse!!?? That was all in the first hour of my day today. Nothing a delicious slice of Pecan Pie and my amazing superhero husband couldn't fix! I guess I shared all of this because it is quite humous in hindsight and we all have days like this, sometimes those days turn into weeks like this. I am the type of person who sometimes gets stuck in the loop of being surrounded by craziness. I am hoping during the stressful portions of the holiday season we can find ways to also find peace and merriment. Enjoying the simple pleasures in life and appreciating the gestures of kindness surrounding us. Sending comfort and joy to all as we plunge headfirst into this holiday season. Wearing a mask of course...

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