thx thx thx

My great grandmother, Bigsy, repeated her stories a lot. When, after the 4th round of hearing the same tale, we would gently point out to her this instance of repetition she would say (without missing a beat) "Oh yea? Well you'll probably hear it another 3 times." and continue about her business.

I feel this way about my own stories and sentiments. I know you've heard me say these things in the past and I don't mean to be a broken record...but be prepared to hear them again...and again...and probably again. It runs in the family? That being said...

I love snail mail. LOVE. IT.

Truly, is there anything better than arriving home to a surprise card or package waiting for you? Very few things my friends, very few things.

Yesterday I walked home after a long day at work to find a package leaning up against my apartment door. Immediately my excitement kicked in. You know which kind of excitement I'm talking about--that little youthful rush of giddiness that makes you wanna rip it open, Christmas morning as a 5 year old style, right there in the hallway.

I did manage to contain my excitement until making it in the house (removing my shoes and my coat first, too! Wow I'm maturing). What a treat to find a wonderful and completely unexpected (or warranted!) gift from my dear friend Erin inside.

I met Erin during probably the lowest point in my life. I was struggling in a number of relationships, primarily my partnership, I was miserable at work, I was grumpy about living in Pennsylvania when my heart was pulling me towards California, etc etc. To be blunt--I was super depressed. I could ramble on for several pages about how much Erin's arrival into my life meant to me then (and continues to mean to me today) but I will summarize it by saying the following;

I feel that at the time of our meeting the Universe essentially recognized my struggles and said "these times will eventually pass, though there is still more to learn...in the meantime, here is a little something to help bring light to your darkness...". A few heart to hearts by our complex's pool, home cooked meals, episodes of So You Think You Can Dance and concerts later...Erin was a bestie for life. Sometimes you need a friend who is just going to *be* there; to provide moments of laughter and adventure without having to go into the depths of your aching in an endless cycle of analyzing, re-analyzing, un-analyzing and analyzing again. This is my favorite part about my friendship with Erin; we managed to connect on a genuine level with very little effort. When we were ready to dive into the deep stuff after a few weeks of life-on-the-lighter-side, it was totally natural to do so. Do you have a friend like this? A person who stepped into your life right when you needed them and provided the level of comfort you didn't even know you were searching for? I hope so.

Erin- thank you SO much for this awesome gift, for thinking of me and for taking the time to mail a package 3,000 miles across the US to my doorstep. I absolutely love this book (what a cool way to practice gratitude daily!) and I absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt love YOU.

A few of my favorite pages (it was super hard to choose!) below...

Give thanks daily, friends.

Oh, and send snail mail. It is a language of love, attention, affection and appreciation I hope will never die.

In Gratitude,

Trish