22:1.22

And the cinematography:And the contrast-- the softness of the curtain and pink dress and robin's egg blue room with the black leather of her shoes.Have you seen the movie Bright Star? I can't remember the last time a movie made such an aesthetic impression on me.  Amy, may I entice you to please do a "Living In" about this movie? Although the beautiful details are beyond acquisition. When Fanny embroiders the pillowcase with the tree, when she snips her the yellow ribbon on her sister's dress to tie up a care package, when she decides to start keeping butterflies in her bedroom. So, this letter goes to costume and production designer Janet Patterson -- thank you for your boundless talent.

(You can find such envelopes at legal stationery stores. They are intended to keep wills, trusts, etc.)

21:1.21

Thank you to A. & M. for VIP tickets to a recent event. The feeling was not unlike being told that the airline would be upgrading you to first class. And so fun to catch up amid the din of the band.

20:1.20

I am happy to announce the first gratitude giveaway for January. Number twenty goes to a professor of design. The sender, Roxana, writes:

The person I wanted to thank is a former design instructor, E.. She was by far one of the most influential instructors I had while finishing up my education. I've always felt that educators aren't praised as much as students are for doing great work, and E. is definitely one of those instructors that deserves a sincere thanks for her dedication and passion in motivating her students.

Please send me an email or comment below to be considered for February's gratitude giveaway. And thank you to Roxana for taking the time to recognize someone who made a difference.

19:1.19

Happy birthday dearest Ann. 1. Years ago, I saw these snowflakes in the window of  a closed shop and freaked out. And then I received them the next week in the mail. 2. I had surgery and Ann drove me home from the hospital in a daze. 3. She is the fastest reader I know.

18:1.18

Thank you to Katherine Boo. I return to her stories again and again, and eagerly await her next one.

16:1.16

Thank you to C. for her hospitality, even when she is a thousand miles away. Botanic illustrations from William Baxter’s “British Flowering Plants,” inspired by the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens.

15:1.15

Thank you to O., always far flung from Taiwan to Somerville, but always in my thoughts.

14:1.14

Thank you to Ellen, my poetry professor in college, for teaching us John Donne’s  “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” and making poetry a part of our daily lives.

If they be two, they are two so                                      
    As stiff twin compasses are two ;  
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show  
    To move, but doth, if th' other do.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
    Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,                                  
    And makes me end where I begun.  

[Our wedding invitations printed by EmPrint Press]

13:1.13

Thank you to Amanda for a memorable weekend of John Deere napkins, spicy pork rolls, dinner parties, Prosecco and Kanye West. 

1:1.12

Thank you to George for suggesting Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" many years ago. I return to it over and over. 61. To enter others' minds and let them enter yours.