My Birthday Present to Me

 

 

Today is my birthday!! Yes, I am a fun-loving, adventurous, travel-addicted Sag. So, what did I buy myself this year for my birthday present? A book of 286 letter, notes, and doodles by John Lennon.

I love handwritten letters. I always have and appreciate them more now that most correspondence is done by text or email. There is a power in the written word and the words that come through the arm and written out of the hand to me gives forth an intimate, thoughtful energy. Thumbing through my birthday present today, I chose a postcard from John, Sean, and Yoko they sent to their friends for Thanksgiving in 1980:

This past Friday evening I attended a Prayers in the Wind service at Agape Church in Culver City. Rev. Dr. Michael had each of us write a letter as though it were from God to someone in the sanctuary; letting the person know how deeply they are loved, how precious they are, how needed they are, etc. Then, the letters were swapped. Below is the letter I received. The writer didn’t follow directions and yet it was perfect for me (go figure):

I teach a class entitled Spiritual Practices. Within it is a section on gratitude. The homework assignment I give for that topic is to write three thank you notes. One to someone you know and are appreciate in your life. The second is to someone you barely know or don’t know at all who will most likely receive your letter and read it; like your local barista. The third letter is to be written to someone you don’t know who will most likely never read the letter you write yet you write it and send it anyway. One of the many insights gained is how gratitude fuels the person giving it.

One of my favorite people on the planet, Quinn, is an artist and teaches people to make their own postcards. www.quinncreative.com I facilitated a ten week mastermind group with her and each week we crafted a post card pulling out from within us our brewing desires.

Quinn enjoys sending notes to people so much she participates in the group Postcrossing, https://www.postcrossing.com that connects the world through sending postcards between people who don’t yet know each other.

Not only is it my birthday, it is the beginning of the holiday season. Consider a gift of yourself by jotting a note to someone you love, appreciate, or will never meet.

Happy birthday to me,