Odysseuse on the Move

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Wish You Were Here

Vacation time in 2005 means keeping in touch with the folks at home by e mail and cell phones. These messages disappear quickly without a trace. The memory may linger but there is nothing tangible to hold and to treasure. There is a solution.

Everywhere there are racks of postcards for sale. For the price of a card, a postage stamp and a pen, a permanent written remembrance can be sent. Photographs stored in and sent from digital cameras record places and people in reality; postcards represent the ideal and have a further benefit. It is the personal touch, something to be held in hand and in the heart - and kept.

Oliver Goldsmith wrote
That strain once more; it bids remembrance rise.

posted by marguerite louise at 8:49 AM

8 Comments:

  • The last time I received a postcard was...well,...let's see...Maybe it was from Odysseuse when she was in Switzerland.

    Good post!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/28/2005 9:51 AM  

  • I did get a postcard from John and Anne when they were in Australia, and I have it somewhere.

    My favorite souvenir from their trip, thought, is a granddaughter named Sydney. L-)

    By Blogger Marguerite, at 6/28/2005 11:58 AM  

  • The most faithful card and letter writer I ever knew was my Gram. One evening each week, after the dinner dishes were washed and put away, she sat at the kitchen table (the kind with the chrome legs) and wrote two-page letters to all her out-of-state friends. No two were alike in any way; each letter addressed the interests of the recipient. She always included something special---a recipe clipped from the newspaper, a short magazine article or a photo of a recent bloom in her flower garden. I remember how content she looked while she was writing.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/28/2005 10:41 PM  

  • Thanks, Kimberly (did I spell your name correctly? Sorry if I didn't). That's such a nice thing to say; you made my day! :)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/29/2005 4:31 PM  

  • Kim, my Gram would have said about your gram, "Oh the poor thing must have stomach trouble!" She always used the "stomach trouble" excuse for people who were difficult to be around.

    I've thought of that many times in later years and especially after studying Psychology in college. People don't want to be unpleasant, but often there are extenuating circumstances. Your grandmother might have suffered from depression and not had access to help. We can forgive her for that. I had to forgive my mom for the very same traits and more.

    Thanks for sharing! I love this blog because ML gives everyone a chance to open up and socialize. How many blogs do you see that have a real sense of community like this one? I don't see very many.

    Thanks, ML! You're a peach!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/29/2005 11:05 PM  

  • And speaking of community and also of letter-writing, I'd like to send a letter to a member of the Oddysseuse community. I don't know that she'll see it, but I can hope.

    Dear Sara,

    I enjoyed your comments so much and I really miss you. If you're reading this, would you please come back?

    Love---Sharon

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/29/2005 11:10 PM  

  • ML, thank you for making this community space available to us. You always plant such wonderful seeds of thought for me.

    Sharon, your Grandmother sounds like a marvelous lady. I'm sure you gained much from her example.

    My own Mother and Grandmother would have been deemed to have "stomach trouble"...and I learned from their example... There is a kinder, gentler and more thoughtful way to do things.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/30/2005 2:15 AM  

  • Thanks, Colette! I learned from my Gram that when you recognize you're having a bout of "stomach trouble", it's better to take a pill than be one. :)

    You made a very good point about learning to cultivate positive behavior from negative examples.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/30/2005 10:35 AM  

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