Autumn's Post

Checking out Autumn's latest post on her Book Joy blog (beautiful and clean with zero ads and annoying pop ups) and deciding halfway through the read that I needed to share it here. If only for myself to look back on years from now.

Six hours north of my life in Ohio, there is a quaint, humble home on the Western side of Michigan where, for fourteen indulgent days in the middle of July, my family and I have lived out our ultimate vacation for the last five seasons. Tucked inside a lush, forested state park, this charming cottage holds the keys to an enchanting summer. One midday during our 2019 vacation, I sat journal writing in view of my children in life jackets leaping off the dock below the house into the cool lake waters while my husband coasted nearby atop the orange, stand-up paddle board. Mesmerized by the essence of July and the promise of a warm summer’s day set before me, my mind traveled back to the Atlantic Ocean beach vacations of my youth, often spent at the home of my youngest sister’s godparents with their two sons and a daughter, my age. Aside from yearly Christmas cards, I hadn’t written to my lifelong friend in perhaps, decades. Beside my journal sat a stack of postcards provided by the owners of the cottage. Fueled by nostalgia of the past, I scrawled a succinct greeting to my friend before joining my family’s delight in a day’s worth of sunshine and water.

One, unassuming postcard reinvigorated a cherished friendship through the art of letter writing. Ever since that postcard arrived days later surprising my friend with glee, we have continued the practice of frequent correspondence. Dropping a thought, word of encouragement, or funny anecdote in the mail whenever the fancy strikes shortens the 586 miles between our homes, allowing words to unite us closer than, perhaps, ever before. Between the lines, we speak fondly of our past travels and experiences, current happenings, and lately, the ill effects of cancer and other family maladies. Seldom do we fail to mention the books we’re reading. With each passing note, my heart and to-read list have grown exponentially, and the words between my friend and I have helped to close the gap of idle loneliness in an unprecedented time.

In case you are wondering about the postcard that started it all here's a link. Coincidentally my receiving said postcard was one year ago to the day of Autumn's reminiscing on her blog to when she wrote it out. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some correspondences to catch up on...