art in my mailbox

The most beautiful and extraordinary piece of mail arrived yesterday.

But before I get to that, I should mention that this is an amazing technological time in which we live. I have a group of wonderful friends across the US, even the world, whom I've never met, yet they are the most supportive, creative, hands-on blogging mamas. I may never meet some, or most, of them in person, but they are intricately woven into the fabric of my life and encourage and inspire me in so many ways.

Similarly, social networking tools, like Facebook, have done the same thing with people who used to be a daily part of my life. I love seeing where my high school and college friends are now and the lives they've built for themselves. Even more than that, I love seeing a glimpse into my husband's past life, "meeting" his friends from college and his early career days. One friend of his in particular (actually, I think they weren't very good friends back in their college days, although they had the same circle of friends) reconnected with him over Facebook and then started following my blog. She and I would have conversations over his status updates, and we soon became friends ourselves. I have never met Jodi in person, but I can tell you this, she's an amazing mother, artist and friend.

About that beautiful and extraordinary package that appeared in our mailbox, this stunning card which she made, then wrote a lovely note inside.

And that was just the beginning.

Out of a lovely brown organza bag, appeared this gift. A place to record our cherished memories and important dates. There were pictures of our family, meaningful quotes, and bits of beautiful color and texture everywhere.

I know my pictures don't do it justice, and as Paul says, you can't get it's full effect without feeling it anyway. But trust me, this will be a cherished piece of art in our house.

See more of Jodi's incredible work here and here. Thanks again, Jodi! We truly love our gift and are honored that you would share your art with us in this way. :)