x-mas cards and e-mails

i'm reading a book of letters, which made me think hard about my forgotten hand-written and typed posts to friends and family that are eventually recycled and forced to memory soon after reading. --not that i expect a grand archive of my posts, but it made me realize how these moments are lost. perhaps if i were to blog my exchanges, at least i would have a record of a handful of memories, and could choose to print or share them while still fresh.

as with other winter holiday seasons, i send and receive hand-written x-mas cards, occasionally crafting electronic intermediaries that are squished in between the more intentional and traditional variety. after exchanging a few e-mails with my dear friend and former college roomie as she prepares for a trip home to the midwest from north carolina, i decided to archive my latest to her, here:

hi p,

my good friend lynne who is from NC is going back for x-mas; she made me pine for you and wish that i were doing the same (although i'd spend a hard few nights on your porch if i tried). lynne has such good stories of growing up in the south (she lives on vashon island, wa, which is just a 15 minute ferry ride from seattle, and MILES away from the south; it's quite a laid back culture on her island). we just spoke today, and she told me about her x-mas trip and her worries of bringing her british boyfriend to her homeland, and how he was quite taken aback the first time they visited. i mentioned the quandaries of loved ones disliking things you like, and worse... LIKING things that horrify you. we shared a good laugh over him liking that lynne is called "sugar" and other southern treats, and him wanting to employ hillbilly terms once they return home. we were joking, of course :)

i hope your trip is good, p. remember to bite your lip when your sis says something that she should have grown out of decades ago, and smile when you receive a trinket treasure from one of the relatives that's better shrouded from the eyes of [your daughter] (god forbid her aesthetic be clouded by some of that crap) and remember that i'm nudging you, giggling, as your better self shows up and thanks the sweet family member for their kindness :)

love you,
-s

there's something about this e-mail that made me want to save it; the description of past and present, our close connections, our shared knowledge of each other's reality, and love.

happy holidays.