On letters

Over the weekend, I was organizing papers and files and clearing out a bin for a (long awaited) lager space to keep out notes, cards, and letters.  I didn't have time to re-read as much as I would have liked to, but the snippet here, the postcard there made me so happy.  I'm a spoiled girl, with letters from England, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, and all across the United States. 

 

This morning, one of my favorite bloggers posted "Why We Should Write Letters Again, Please."   This is a conversation my older brother and I have had many times.  They last.  Letters mean more.  [Just see Letters of Note.] The time they take to compose, the tangibility they convey, the distance they close - they mean so much to both parties.

As Fall is now decidedly upon us, and the natural inclination to stay close to the hearth has settled in our hearts, consider "posting" something more memorable than a message or tweet. 

"The proper definition of a man is an animal that writes letters" - Lewis Carroll

"How wonderful it is to be able to write someone a letter! To feel like conveying your thoughts to a person, to sit at your desk and pick up a pen, to put your thoughts into words like this is truly marvelous." - Haruki Murakami

"I have now attained the true art of letter-writing, which we are always told, is to express on paper exactly what one would say to the same person by word of mouth." - Jane Austen

Nostalgic for Now

The Summer of Becoming... it means abundant weekends and long to-do lists and beautiful memories and tired eyes and sunkissed skin.  Weather-wise, we're having one of those summers in Seattle we only get once every 5 years or so.  It's the summer of #latergram - live through the moment rather than the memory.  I can't tell you how many friends' blogs I follow who just returned from a month-long, unplanned hiatus.  It's a seasoon of both the beautiful and the sublime.


[We are in the good old days, y'all.]


I love Kati's exposition of just one weekend can look like!  This weekend was magic!  I'll have some "professional" photos to post later.  But I thought I'd share some now:



[Rugged floral... styled by Cami]





[View of Mt. Rainier from our ferry]





[I love being on the water!]



[This poster in a bookshop brought me right back to childhood]



[bicycle hunt]





[Boats on Bainbridge!]





[How darling is this little Church?  I totally wanted to sneak up to the steeple!]





[We got to share 30 hours and multiple adventures this weekend... we both agreed it wasn't enough]





[And I got to see this lovely gal and former roommate.  We were wearing matching sweaters + sunnies. Ha!]



Such a fun weekend!

This isn't to say everything's perfect. No, there's time when I think my room, my schedule and my soul are all too crammed. There are times when I feel impatient or like I'm going crazy. My morning alarm reminds me "You can sleep when you're dead." But... even with all the crazy - I'm so aware what this summer embodies. If you find yourself enjoying sunsets or you're busy chasing dreams, if (like me) you're trying to strike the balance between amazing fun with friends and the desire to go on a reading binge, if you are "too hot," "too busy," or "too tired" - remember that this season is unique. For many I've talked too, it's a season like we've never had and probably never will have again. It's one of intense growth and, quite literally, enough memories to last a lifetime.

Our lives are enviable - let's be "nostalgic" for the now.

One year ago today...

I was in Paris.

*sigh. We shall meet again.

Because this wouldn't fit in the card...

Dear Mom,

You are the BEST!! I am so, so grateful for you and all that you have helped me accomplish.

[Immediate family + Miss Ida at Jer's MC graduation]

Thank you for giving up your everything for us. I know raising us was rowdy, dirty, awkward, and sometimes down-right traumatic. But despite appendicitis, swallowed quarters, and cancer, you stuck with this crazy family. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the choices and the sacrifices you've made when the normal human reaction would be to bolt. You put up with so much and I'm so glad to see you now reaping such amazing blessings.



[Four generations of ladies: Granny holding Miss Ida, Melissa, myself, Sarah, and my mom being funny in the back =]

Thank you for representing what it means to be a woman. It's kind of funny that your three daughters are such different people, but you set such a good example that, despite our differences, we each learned what it means to be feminine. Seriously, thank you for forcing us to wear a dress to church every Sunday. Thank you for teaching us that a woman's clothes don't have to be from Nordstrom to look good. Thank you for the time at the Christmas party a few years back when you pulled me aside just to say, "Samara, you look gorgeous. Enjoy yourself tonight." Thank you for affirming womanhood in this crazy, confused world.

[Mom and I in Oxford]

I cannot even begin to express how much your encouragement means has meant over the years!! You may not have known what to do with your little, over-achiever, but I just want to say, I'm partly your fault. You have such an incredible enthusiasm--especially for learning--which I inherited. And then of course, there was all the reading you did when you were on bed-rest with me [silly me, always trying to get a head-start on things]. But in all seriousness, your encouragement to train at the A Level has made me who I am today. Thank you for supporting my interest in FBLA. You stuck with me in the high's--placing at Nationals in Chicago--to the low's--like when I was puking the morning of my first public speaking experience--and everything in between. Thank you for not letting me quit University after the first year. You and Dad heard God when I couldn't and now, about to graduate, I can't say it enough: "You were right!!" You knew me better than I did and I'm so grateful that you twisted my arm when you knew that staying in college was part of my calling. Thank you thank you thank you!



[Mom and I in Paris]

Thank you for helping me dream bigger! I know that you're more of a cautious person by tendency, but you have been so instrumental in pushing me to all that God has. When I was either too afraid or too weak to commit to something big, you have been the one to release me. You were the one to say "Go for it" when I wanted to skip a grade. You were the one to say "Samara, don't settle" when I got distracted. You were the one to encourage me to study abroad. You were the one to suggest applying to Oxford when I was way too scared to consider that option. And more recently, you were the one to pick me back up and say, "Samara, re-apply." Thanks for be willing to listen to, pray about, and join in on some of my crazy ideas (from serious considerations like job-hunts to fun adventures like when I drug you up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe). I couldn't have taken this incredible journey without you (literally and figuratively ;), and I'm so grateful for all you've done.



[Sarah, Mom, myself, and Granny]



Love you so, so much!! Happy Mother's Day!

Samara

 

I just came across some poetry I wrote when I was 15 or so. Its so strange to look back on something from that time period. It's like hearing from a different person. I didn't start keeping a consistent journal till I was 17 or a blog till 18. My memories of that part of my life often get consumed with school and FBLA and other involvements. I don't have a record of my musings. Heck, at that point in my life, I still thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I had such different ideas of who I was. Six years from now I'll probably look back with some incredulity too, but I have a better record now of how I got from point A to point B. I don't really have that for high school. Other than my speeches, I haven't looked at those assignments in years. Its so strange. 


All that to say, I did come across one poem with some merit... here is just one stanza of my affected poetical voice, but I still kind of like it:

Did David ever wonder while emerging from rock and stone,Or van Gogh’s little star ever wait on canvas alone?Is it minutely possible that brilliant Mona Lisa ever wanted to frown,Or did one of Monet’s Water Lilies ever wish to drown?Has there ever been a time that, purpose not clearly shone,Caused a single piece of art to cast its spirit down? 

 

Really missing all of these lovely ladies and our incredible times together!

[from left to right: Amanda, Maia, me, Kristina, Stephanie, Elizabeth, and Cathleen]

[Cathleen, bending down... she's really a foot taller than me =]

[one of the happiest moments of my life]

[Emily and Cathleen... we love our red-heads!]

[Kristina and I at Vaults and Gardens Cafe--favorite!]

[Stephanie Downing at Downing Street, London]

[Amanda Bennett at Bennet Street, Bath]

[221 B, Baker Street =]

[from Merton College quad, overlooking Christ Church Meadow]

[Last night together with such good friends]