mail! real mail

To me mailboxes feel like magical portholes.  They open up opportunity to connect with individuals through handwritten words or surprise packages.  They are a mystery box of communication.  

I love how handwritten words are filled with intention.  When you take the time to write someone a note you are encouraged to slow down and really think about what you want to say.  When you drop it in the mailbox you are unsure of when it will arrive to them, but you know that when it does it will be an incredible surprise.  This is all part of the magic.  

Unfortunately I feel that less and less people are pulling out postage stamps, addressing letters, and dropping them in the mail.  This makes my heart sad and one of the reasons I started the Love Notes Postcard Project.  I wanted to bring back the magic and encourage more people to send snail mail.    

This FREE  project only requires:

• Three postcards
• Three stamps
• And an open heart

Next round begins April 3rd

Here's how it works:

• You will get paired up with another participant
• Each Sunday for three weeks (beginning April 3rd) a writing prompt will arrive in your email box
• Simply respond to the writing prompt on your postcard and drop it in the mail before Thursday
• Keep a look out in your mailbox for a postcard from your partner
   

That's right, simple and fun!  Click HERE to sign up.  

This will be the 15th time I have hosted this project and people from all the Unites States and the world have participated.  I believe so strongly in connecting through handwritten words that my goal for this round is to get one person from each state in the US sending and receiving some love.  Wouldn't that be so fun!  

I need your help.  In order to get someone from each state  I need your help spreading the word.  Please share with your friends and let them know that their mailbox doesn't have to just be filled with coupons and bills ... they can also receive little rays of sunshine.  And if you know someone in Alaska and Hawaii {I feel these are going to be two really hard states} let them know about this project.  

Together let's spread the LOVE!

As individuals sign up I am going to color in the state they are from.  Hopefully I can fill up the entire map of the US.  This does not mean that international sign up's aren't welcome.  Of course this project is also international.  I just thought this would be a fun goal to try to reach.  

Create your own visited states map or check out the JavaScript Charts.

Along with sushine in your mailbox there is also an incredible group that has gathered over in the Love Notes Postcard Facebook Page   Pop on over and say hello.  Also check out some  of the postcards sent in previous rounds on Instagram #lovenotesj

be in the moment

We had all been through so much this past year.  Life as we knew it had changed forever.  Relationships altered, holes left in our hearts, everything different.  Nothing ever to be the same again.  

Moments slipping through our fingers as we try to gain our footing in this new way of living

Yet here we were, gathered with family along the oceans edge.  Life slowed down even if just for a moment.   Deeply submerged into where we were and who we were with we savored the laughter, let go, and really enjoyed each others company.  It was divine to hear my Father's laughter.  To see him smiling and having such a good time.  He stepped deep into the moment and savored it all.  

Memories forever etched in my heart.  This wasn't just about getting away for a few days.  No, it was so much more than that.  It was a breath of fresh air, a reminder to keep moving forward, an infusion of love from family.  It was arms wide open, warm sunshine, and a deep breathe in.  

I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders as we settled into an easy routine of doing whatever moved us. Walking through the ocean, gazing up at the stars, dancing in the kitchen.  It wasn't fancy.  There was no fan fare.  It was life, beautiful loving life.  Where we were surrounded by family and enjoying being where we were in that exact moment.  

I am so grateful for this time away.  For the moment to let go of the worries and feel the hope that is in front of us.  My mom may not be walking the journey with us, but she is there.  She is always, always there.  And she would want us to keep stepping forward.  She would smile to see us enjoying the moment and soaking in the warm sunshine.  The beach was her happy place. When I am near the ocean I feel close to her.  Being right next to the ocean for a few days I felt my mom strongly in my heart.  I felt her smile as we ventured off on the paddle boards and I felt her sitting with us as we gazed up at the stars.  

She is looking down on all of us.  So proud of the way we have come together.  It makes my  heart smile and brings me hope for what the future holds.  I am so grateful for it all.  For family, love, and being deep in the moment.

Gathering brings us together.  Feeling the love of family infuses me with hope.  Being in the moment reminded me of how incredible life is.  Even amongst the heartache, the struggle, and the tears there is so much goodness.  I am so lucky to have the incredible family I have.  So grateful for trips taken and moments of being able to be together in the moment, yes present in the moment.   

love letter to the signs from loved ones

Dear Signs from loved ones,

It was a warm spring night when my mom and I set off on an adventure to Brooklyn.  We were on our way to meet Susannah Conway who was doing a reading of her book "This I know".  I was thrilled about this moment in time for two reasons.  One - getting to meet Susannah.  Two - being there with my mom.  

My mom and I had a usual mother daughter relationship.  It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions.  There were years when we were close and other years where we drifted apart not understanding one another.  This moment in Brooklyn was a crossing over from not knowing and understanding one another to getting back on the same page and diving deep into a new terrain of friendship.  

It was this night that I learned something about my mom I never knew.  She had a sister she was very close to who passed when she was in her twenties {this I knew}.  I was supposed to be named after her but the day I was born my Grandma told my parents it would be to much for her and so they quickly decided on the name Jennifer.  What I didn't know is that since her passing she had sent my mom signs that she was around in the form of feathers.  

In Susannah's book she talks about receiving similar signs from her late husband.  My mom who struggled to open up to others shared this story with Susannah.  As I stood and watched this interaction unfold my heart grew two sizes.  There is something incredible about seeing your mom be vulnerable and real, especially when she struggled to do so.  I stood there in that moment in complete awe and filled with gratitude.  

Before my mom passed there were signs of feathers that felt as if her sister and father were calling her home and letting us know that she was going to be ok.  I remember one day going over to my parents house to spend time with my mom after her diagnosis.  She fell asleep on the couch so I went outside to get some air.   I noticed a feather on the lawn and walked up to it.  My eye caught other feathers.  In fact they were all around her home.  In the front lawn, the backyard, under the bushes.  It was incredible.  Their were no feathers on the neighbors lawn, just my parents.  

After my mom passed Dustin and I went to the beach to spend the day.  The beach was my moms favorite place to be and it is near the ocean that I feel closest to her.  We drove to spot on the beach got out and decided to keep going down a little further.   When we got out there was a feather sticking upside down in the sand.  It was incredible, how did the feather land this way?  What are the odds of this happening.  I felt in my heart that it was my mom sending me a sign.  Letting me know she loved me and was with me.  

Now when I find a feather my heart smiles.  I feel as if my mom is reaching out and speaking to me.  It is a reminder that even though she isn't here in person she is always with me.  I never noticed feathers before, and now seem to find the most interesting ones.  I wonder if they were never there before or if I just wasn't looking for them.  

What is incredible is sometimes I find them in the most unusual places.  Like when my Father and I went shopping for Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews and at the check out there was this tiny white feather dancing around the cashier.  Or the feather at the bottom of the stairs at work, inside. Or how about the big feather I found on the property that we are going to build on the day I unexpectedly navigated my way there on my bicycle and the song Home by Philip Philips began to play in my ears.  

Sure these could be all considered coincidences but I feel deep in my heart that they are signs from my mom.  Each feather makes me smile and think of her.  They are tangible reasons to believe that she is looking down on me.  

Thank you dear signs for showing up when I need you most.  For giving me hope and reminding me that I am not alone.  I am so grateful for you.  

xo
Jennifer

love letter to journaling

Dear Journal,

I must start this letter with extreme gratitude for you.  You are are more than just sheets of paper bound together in a book.  You are the keeper of my heart.  You catch every single feeling I throw at you.  You never judge.  You simply just open up and allow me space to spill open.  Thank you!  

I have gravitated towards you ever since I was very young.  Tucking you deep below my mattress so my brothers couldn't find you.  You became my best friend then and you have remained ever since.  Although I could write pages and pages about why I love you here is a quick list to let you know some of those reasons.  

Top 5 Reasons why I LOVE you!

1. You give me space to show up and say exactly how I feel in that moment.  I don't have to put on a filter or think about anyone else's feelings.  I can write directly from my heart and that feels so good.  You understand that these feelings may not depict how I truly feel about something, it is just where I am at in that moment.
2. I can take you anywhere!  I have journaled while waiting for a plane, on a plane, in my car, at the park, at a coffee shop, in bed ... the list could go on and one.  All I need is you a pen and I am set!
3. You are the keeper of my stories.  You show me how far I have come and remind me of where I have been. 
4. When I struggle to say something out loud you give me space to work it out.  
5. Because writing in you heals my heart, encourages me to keep stepping forward, and helps me to understand who I am and where I want to go.

I feel so lucky to have such a divine kinship in you.  Without, oh my goodness I would be a mess.  I tell you all the stories, even the ones I didn't realize I needed to tell.  You give me the opportunity to see them from a new perspective and with a bit of space between us.  This provides me the chance to calm my nerves and unearth how I really feel.  

I have turned to you a countless number of times in utter desperation and in celebration.  You remind me that in life there is space for everything, we just need to take the time to tend to it.  You open up your blank pages to me even if I keep you closed for long stretches of time.  You always whisper "I am here" and this is such a comfort to me.  

Because of you I know and understand the power of writing our stories.  We must put them down on paper.  We must get them out of our hearts and our heads and give them space to breathe.  This simple act of writing lifts the weight from our shoulders and clears space inside for new and incredible adventures.  

I know you are just like me and wish that everyone would carry you around and spill open into you.  I think the world would be a better place if everyone spent a few minutes a day with you.  Have no fear, I am doing my part and spreading the word.  I am out there encouraging others to grab a hold of you and write away.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I will continue to carry you with me wherever I go.  Writing down dreams, ideas, fears, worries and sharing all of my stories.  You will continue to be a beacon of light for me.  My best friend and most trusted confidante.  Let's continue this journey together.  

xo
Jennifer

P.S.  If you are interested in dipping your toes into the world of journaling or an avid journaler yourself and could use a bit of spark to get you going again I invite you to join me for Brave Journaling.  During our time together I will provide writing prompts and inspiration to get your pen moving.  You will leave the course feeling ready to approach the blank page and spill your heart open.  

 

Words of Love!

"To any contemplating this, I encourage you to give it a try.  I admit that I won't be abel to join this session, because I will be working on another magazine article for publication.  You see, it was precisely here - in one of Jennifer's writing classes - that I rediscovered my love of writing and found my true self."  - Rita Herrmann

"I am really looking forward to your newest class.  The last one allowed me to be refreshingly honest with myself and to help realign my priorities.  I am looking forward to staying on that track with this class and excited to see how it challenges me this time around.  Jen you are doing an amazing job."  - Kelly

love letter to my bicycle

Dear Bicycle,

I remember when I was small and I first learned how to ride you without any assistance from training wheels.  I had gotten my cousins hand me down and couldn't wait to jump on.  I taught myself, or so my mom has told me and my instant connection to you began.  

Do you remember riding up and down Williams street.  That one small street provided endless hours of exploration.  Up and down driveways, to the end of the block and back, and that famous Pee Wee Herman fall off of you that I practiced for a countless number of hours on my neighbors lawn.... "I meant to do that"

As a kid you gave me freedom.  My goodness, how many times did we ride to the library together?  

As I grew older my affliction with your remained but do you remember the days when I was a bit intimidated by you.  My then boyfriend would go out for 10, 15, 20 mile rides and I thought him crazy.  How could somebody spend that much time on a bicycle?  I did not understand it.   

And then I signed up for a weekend bicycle race and my love affair with you began.  Day one we rode 20 miles through the cold and the rain.  I felt so accomplished after riding that many miles that a took a lea and jumped into the 50 miler the following day.  I had no idea what I was in for and figured if I couldn't make the little car would pick me up and that would be that. 

I had no idea that I would fall in love with the steady rotation of pedaling and the way you took me down road after road opening me up to sites I never did see.  Brilliant green lawns, big bales of hay, nature at it's finest.  You also challenged me by pushing me to ride up incredible hills.  But remember the little old man we passed.  He was steadily pedaling along and encouraged me to just do the same.  "Just keep pedaling he said.  Put your head down and keep going.  Before you know it you will be at the top"  His cheers lifted my spirits and encourage me to make it to the top.  That 50 mile race was really 60 and I couldn't have been more proud of myself as I stepped with legs shaking off of you.  

You dear bicycle encourage me to explore.  With you I travel down new roads, see sights I have never seen, and even stumble across the property where I am soon to be building a house.  When I am on you I feel at peace.  There are even times when I pedal with no destination in mind just an open heart to exploration. It is freedom, pure freedom.  

You find strength in me that I didn't know I had.  You give me time and space to think.  Moments to dream and an opportunity to soak in the beauty that this world has to offer.  You have brought me stunning sunsets and incredible feathers found.  You never cease to amaze and surprise me.  

Thank you for being YOU!  For setting me free and encouraging me to keep on going.  I look forward to many more adventures together.  

xo
Jennifer

love letter to creativity

Dear Creativity,

Oh how grateful I am for YOU!  Because of you I have become an explorer of the world.  Seeking out new ways to do things, finding new uses for old tools, and taking any little scraps and turning them into a piece of art.  You encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone.  You ask me to play, let go, just give it a try.  You show up in so many unexpected ways and fill me with joy.  

I am grateful for how much my mom encouraged me to hold onto you, always.  She was a crafter at heart and inspired me to be the same.  Ordinary shells she found on the beach became precious christmas ornaments we hung on the Christmas Tree.  A pile of construction paper became a room full of snowflakes and paper doll chains. It was creativity for creativity's sake.  No rules, just fun.  There was so much love infused into each and every project.  This is what mattered most.  

The creative bug inside of me runs strong and I love gathering with others to create together. You really force me to stretch and grow.  You stop me in my tracks and push me to figure out where I want to go next.  You are limitless and filled with so many endless possibilities that my heart just wants to burst.  

You come out of me through paint, words, play, laughter, dancing....I could go on and on.  You remind me what it feels like to be free.  Thank you for always being a part of my life.  For encouraging me and reminding me that there always is another way.  Without you I would be lost and I am so glad that we are good friends.  

Keep pushing me, always!  

Love,
Jennifer