When I started this blog, the name was a challenge. The ribbon in a journal marks where we are today and where we will pick up tomorrow. I wrote three times a week and really didn’t know if that was too much or if you had time to read it. But I wanted it to be a journey we take together. So now I write when I have moments to share with you. I would love to know your thoughts.
This week has been a week of change. The cool breezes of autumn are blowing here in Birmingham. I have already had pumpkin spice donuts and look forward to pumpkin spice lattes. I know, I know…I am one of those. I think it’s the spices, not the pumpkin. What is it about cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves that just makes me go nuts? There is something comforting about those aromas. My son Brian is the editor of Bake from Scratch, one of our magazines. He baked an apple spice cake for a TV show he was taping in Augusta, Georgia. I was lucky and got the test cake…I just love it. Do fragrances remind us of special times? Does the smell of cinnamon remind me of cinnamon toast my mom would cook when we were kids? Comfort food…I totally get that. This change to autumn is always a joy for me.
Currently in our lives we want change, not just seasons, but a change back to the way it was before this virus. I want the old familiar to become my new normal. I want something to look forward to where we can gather and feel safe. We need each other and need to know we are still in a world where we matter. So, here is my new plan until the old normal comes back.
I am challenging me and all of us to do one thing to reconnect: write. I have written many posts about letter writing and emails. But now I think it is so vital that we write or email someone that we love every week. I am going to pick a different person each week. It will change our lives as the writers and change the lives of recipients. So many people are in need of encouragement. Letters make us put into words our thoughts about people. It removes us from the whirl around us and takes us to thoughts of admiration, love, encouragement, and prayers. Yes, that is what we all need right now. If we become a group of Ribbon writers, we can change the part of our world in which we live.
I hope you will join me in this new plan. Get out your pens and paper and commit to words your thoughts for a special someone. If you prefer, email that person. It will make your heart happy and theirs. So, from my heart to yours, you are very special. You matter and make a difference in the world.
Love to all,
Phyllis