"encourager"...me?

Last Friday I came home from a long week of work and saw a note sitting on the counter for me!

I get so excited when I open the mailbox and there's more than just bills! Dynamo had left this note on the counter for me.

It was a note from my friend, Rachel! On the front of the card it said "Encourager."

On the inside was the kindest, sweetest, most generous message about me inspiring her and encouraging her on the bike. As tears poured down my face, I ran outside and handed the card to Dynamo to read.

The week before while riding Rachel told me that she felt inspired to do something...to have something that she could do for herself....to learn something new. And...she has chosen sewing. She will be taking a beginning sewing class in December and is so excited. I am so excited for her!

Well, my heart smiled when she told me this!! She told me that she read my blog and it inspired her to get started! Right then I truly felt that all the work that I do on this blog was worthwhile. If I inspire one person to ride a bike or start sewing or make a card or send a card to someone else then everything was worth it.

In the beginning when I started this blog it was to keep family to keep up-to-date on our adventures and maybe start getting my crafts out there. Now, the blog is much more to me! Maybe it will inspire the girl who might not be the skinniest, fastest, or most coordinated to get out there and get on the bike or run a race! Maybe it will inspire someone to start knitting or crocheting! Maybe it will inspire someone to send a card to a friend they've been thinking about! Now, the blog is about doing something for someone else. It's about showing people that they can do anything they want to do if they put their mind to it. I don't have much that I can give, but there's one thing that I can give...that is myself, my love of life, and my love for creating...to share it with others. I want to share what I know in hopes of helping someone else to get out there and try something new.

I always joke and say that I don't think anyone other than my mom, Dynamo's mom, and my few friends read my blog (Elise - you are my faithful reader and I love you for that). I don't get many comments, and at the beginning that was discouraging (Thank you Jim and Missy for faithfully commenting). But...I do get emails from people or calls from friends, or the occasional bar of soap for inspiration in the mail (thanks Mis!) that do let me know someone reads this thing!

But, when I got the card in the mail last week in "honor of my 52 weeks of mail" my heart was so happy! All 367 posts that I've made on here were worthwhile! So, thank you, Rachel! And...thank you to everyone who reads this blog, whether you care about my rugs or our mountain bike monday posts! Dynamo still swears more people like bike stuff than craft stuff :)

I hope each of you out there find your "thing" and if you don't have a "thing" yet just be patient...you will find it. Everyone has gifts. God gives us all gifts and He expects us to use them. God is good.

52 weeks of mail

It is really sad to hear that according to a new report the average American receives a handwritten letter only once every 7 weeks! Well, there's something that every one of us can help with! Who doesn't like to get a handwritten note? I love to get snail mail! I'm still like a kid when I get home! I love to check the mailbox hoping for a note or card! My Nannie (grandma) has always written notes to me. They are the notes that you used to get as a kid. She writes about what she's been up to. It's really a letter. Sometimes there are multiple pages. Who writes like that anymore? Certainly not me! Dynamo's mom always writes in the cards she sends too. She always talks about the weather and what they've been up to.

And...my Mom is the ultimate card sender. She is so dedicated to sending notes and cards to family and friends. She always taught me to send thank you notes and cards just to let someone know they were thought of. The rule in our house growing up was that any gift you receive you couldn't use until you had written a thank you note to the person that gave it to you. I try to hold true to that today.

I know that cards are expensive, but they do have a 99 cent section. Or...make your own! When I saw this post over at Paper Crave, I decided that I would share this project with you! I am going to make an effort to send a card, note, or something every week. The project begins this Sunday, October 9, and runs for 52 weeks! Won't you join in with me?

Don't know who to send a card to? Well, here's an idea. Someone once told me that they take their Christmas cards every year and throw them into a basket. Once a week they randomly pull a card out of the basket and send a little thinking of you card to that person. It keeps you in touch with people that you really only normally send cards to once a year. Plus, it will brighten someone's day to get a card when it's unexpected.

Here's the excerpt from Paper Crave:

The new 52 Weeks of Mail project from Kimberly Costa of Honizukle Press, the graphic designer for this awesome new project and a member of the Etsy Greetings Team, who created said awesome project.


52 Weeks of Mail is “all about getting back to sending cards and letters to loved ones and fostering relationships that way”, and participants are encouraged to be more intentional about keeping in touch with friends and family by sending out a card or letter each week for the next year. I know that this is something that I’ve personally been trying to do recently, and though I love my computer and the interwebs, it’s so nice to unplug sometimes and to actually sit down and write a note or letter by hand.


52 Weeks of Mail begins on October 9, 2011 (appropriately, World Post Day) and continues through October 7, 2012. A free printable enclosure notecard with an explanation of the project will be available when the project launches, so you can help spread the word via the cards and letters that you send and encourage others to take part.


Get more details and stay up to date on what’s happening on the 52 Weeks of Mail Facebook page.
image by Kimberly Costa