Dear Reader, Tom and I are blessed by our great-nephew, Seth. Seth graduated from a large Mid-Western university last spring, and in July, he moved to the east coast for his first job in his brand new career. I think he is VERY brave.

Seth has always been very quiet and unassuming. When my niece told us where he was moving, we were amazed. When she told us who his new employer was, we were stunned.

Okay, it’s not that we ever thought Seth was a slacker or loser, but time slips away, and youngsters do tend to grow up and blossom before we realize it. Can I get any amens on that, Dear Reader? Having never lived totally on my own, especially half a continent away from my family, I admire Seth a great deal.

Sidebar

I started writing notes and cards to people when you could purchase and mail a postcard for less than a dime. (I’ll let you do the math.)

Every Monday is card writing day. I write my mother-in-law and different other people each week. Nothing prolific or earth shattering. Mainly, it’s, “Hey, how are you? Last we xxx at xxx.” You get the drift.

With Seth off on his big adventure, in a big city, with a big employer, I thought he might like an occasional note from “home.”

Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.

2 Corinthians 3:3 MSG

A few cards later, Halloween was rolling around. Yes, Dear Reader, I realize that may not be the numero uno holiday on a recently independent and empowered twenty-something man’s life, but sending Seth, what my Aunt Anna used to call “care packages,” just sounded like too much fun to pass up.

I texted my niece to find out what some of Seth’s favorite treats were (the spicier the better? what?). Then Tom and our oldest granddaughter headed to Dollar Tree for a card and spicy treats. They had fun, I had fun, the whole package cost a little more than a dime to send, but Seth responded with such a sweet text that I think he had a little fun, too.

The gifting season is nearly over for another year, Dear Reader. What’s the kindest, most thoughtful, gift you’ve ever received that could fit in a shoebox? What’s the most creative gift you’ve given that could fit in a shoebox?

Whether giving or receiving, I pray the new year is full of acts of kindness for you (shoebox optional).