Tag Archives: friends

Day 239: Jo Ann

Posted on August 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

Day 239-2My friend Danielle’s mother suffered a terrible fall earlier this summer and was hospitalized until the insurance company stopped paying for her stay. I’ve heard Danielle talk about her mother several times over the years and know that she is a beloved dance instructor in Frederick, MD.

She’s improving, but it’s a very slow process and she still hasn’t regained use of the right side of her body. I thought a letter might brighten her day.

Jo Ann requires 24/7 care right now which is not being paid by insurance and a fundraising page has been set up to assist with expenses. If you would like to help, I know Jo Ann and her husband Bill would be very appreciative.

Day 239

Dear Jo Ann,

I’m friends with Danielle – we used to work together at the American Heart Association. I am so sorry to hear about your fall. Danielle has been sharing your progress – I know it takes a long time, but hopefully it helps to know so many friends and family are thinking about you.

Stay strong,
Reed

P.S. I love the Take Them a Meal app. If I lived closer, I’d make you something. Instead I made a small donation to your recovery fund.

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Day 237: Jeannine

Posted on August 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

Day 237-2I got such a nice handwritten letter from my friend Jeannine. The words were wonderful and so was the paper, but what made her correspondence stand out was her envelope. It was sealed with her initial into hot wax. Nice touch!

Day 237

Dear Jeannine,

I’m overdue on replying to your thoughtful letter postmarked July 17th. I couldn’t agree more with you on your sentiments about handwritten letters and their timeless appeal. And while words may last longer these days in electronic format, words placed on fine paper by hand carry exceptional meaning.

You must be getting ready to say goodbye to the summer concerts and trade in your seat at those great shows for a place on stage in your classroom. What will you be asking your students to read this fall? I used to loathe the required reading in high school although I sometimes think about rereading some of the books: Great Expectations, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, A Raisin in the Sun, etc. I’m still upset that someone wrote on the inside cover of my Gatsby book, “Don’t waste your time, Myrtle and Gatsby both die.” Ruined it for me.

Anyway – have a wonderful school year, stay in touch and know that I appreciate you following yet another one of my yearlong journeys.

Take care,
Reed

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Day 234: Michael

Posted on August 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

You may remember earlier this summer (Day 160) a friend of mine suffered a severe stroke. Michael, a long-time community advocate here in DC, suffered a stroke in the brain stem and has been battling back ever since. He was finally discharged from the hospital and is now in an assisted living center up in Maryland.

I visited Michael last weekend. He looked a lot better than the last time I saw him, but he still couldn’t speak at all. Communicating with him was very frustrating – I just couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. It must be so hard for him.

I can’t visit him as much as I used to since he’s now much further away, so I thought I would send him a letter today.

Day 234

Dear Michael,

It was great to see you last week. You looked great – you’ve improved a lot since I last saw you on the day that you were being released from GW.

As I was leaving I realized you were probably trying to signal me to give your roommate back his chair. I wasn’t really aware that he was using it, I thought it was for visitors. Sorry.

You’ve got some good strength in your right arm, that was impressive. I imagine they are providing you some physical therapy, which is good for you.

I stopped by the nurse’s station to try to get a little more information about your care. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting someone who know enough about your situation – several new people were on duty. I will be back to see you, it’s a little harder now given your new location.

Stay strong and keep working hard on your recovery. You can do it.
Reed

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Day 230: Paulina

Posted on August 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Day 230Paulina is an old neighbor, well she’s not old, I mean she used to be my neighbor until she abandoned us all. Now I rarely see her – and that’s too bad as she’s one of those people you love to be around.

Paulina made a very thoughtful donation to an organization I support and I wanted to let her know how much her generous gift means to me. Gracias Paulina!

Day 230-2

Paulina,

This is way overdue, but thank you for generously donating to Street Sense back in June. Your donation was matched 100% by me – doubling the impact of your gift! Muchisimas gracias! Let’s get together soon.

Abrazos!
Reed

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Day 226: Nicky

Posted on August 14, 2015 | 4 comments

You may remember Nicky from earlier letters: Day 27 and Day 48. I’m calling on the 6-year-old today for some help in delivering a postcard to my Uncle Ted.

Day 197-2

This is the postcard that I enclosed for Nicky to send to my uncle.

I shared with you on Day 197 that I used to play a bit of a joke on my uncle by sending him anonymous postcards from around the world. I would incorporate the help of others to deliver the letters from places that would make it difficult to believe that yours truly is behind the prank.

Anyway, as my uncle lives in Oklahoma – just 25 miles away from Nicky – I thought it would be perfect to have the postcard stamped from someplace local. Surely it couldn’t be me. I mean if I were to travel so close to my aunt and uncle’s home I would have let them know.

So, there’s a chance Ted or my aunt Kay read this, in which case, the gig is up. But, I’m guessing these posts will slip under the radar. If you know Ted, please help me keep this going by not mentioning it to him. And if you want to be part of this project, send me a message and I will get you some postcards sent to you so that you can mail them from your town or some exciting travel destination.

Day 2226

Nicky,

It’s been a while since I wrote to you. I hope that you are enjoying your summer. I have been busy writing handwritten letters to lots of people.

I need your help. Can you please see that the enclosed postcard gets mailed? It’s for my uncle. It’s part of a joke that I am playing on him – I don’t want him to know that it is from me. I’ve sent him postcards from all over the world, but he’s never received one from so close to his house. And if your mom or dad happen to go to Norman or somewhere nearby, it would be even better to come from there.

There’s already a stamp on it, so it’s ready to go. 

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Reed

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