Saturday, October 16, 2010

Random Acts of Kindness

I may not deserve it, but I have been the recipient of three very gracious random acts of kindness this week - and probably more if I really thought about it. However, these three acts are all postcard and blog related, so that's why I'm highlighting them here.

#1 - Brian from Paper Sponge sent me a very nice book as a prize for the recent caption contest on his blog. Although I officially won the contest, there was a caption that I admit was better than mine, if a little off-color.  I apologize to that person, but the book is mine. Sorry, maybe next time you will mind your language and get the prize you deserve.

When I first looked at this book,  I was certain that it was from a later period than the Sally, Dick, and Jane books, so I was surprised to see that the book is from 1965. Why surprised? Well, because this book has BLACK children in it! Asians too! I don't remember that from Sally, Dick, and Jane. Here's the cover of this revolutionary book, which still maintains the basic illustration style of S,D, and J.


#2 Aimee Dars of The Postman Loves Me sent me an envelope with seven carefully selected streetcar postcards that she had been setting aside for me - this in the middle of her wedding preparations. Wow! I will post the cards on future Streetcar Sundays, but here is one of them as a preview. Thank you, Aimee.
Finally, my cousin-in-law - or whatever you call the person who marries your cousin - sent me a book. He had heard about the title, tracked it down, bought it, and sent it off to me. I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you, Gabriel! Here's the cover (scary, huh?):


These random acts of kindness not only made my week, they also inspired me to think about ways that I may be able to extend random acts of kindness to others. Not sure what yet, but I'm working on it.

8 comments:

  1. Nice post - what a great network of froends and family you have.

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  2. what wonderful items you have received. The book look wonderful. I have read some of his books and truly enjoy his mystries. Enjoy. Grace

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  3. When we city kids were youngsters, we'd mercilessly mock the cover of "The Boy Scout Handbook", which then showed (if my memory's okay) a gangling, smiley-faced lad painted Norman Rockwell-style, a happy wanderer in Boy Scout togs.

    Don't even want to think about what we'd have done with "More Fun with Our Friends", the cover of which seems way too white-bread for the yeasty ethnic compost I grew up in. But, maybe these books were meant to point the way to an idealized America. Jack/Youngstown

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  4. So glad you're enjoying your (new to you) book. It's from my favorite series of that era among others. Truly classic illustrations.

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  5. But Jack, did you not have the Sally, Dick, and Jane-type books? They were the complete antithesis of creativity and individuality. I think the dog was named Spot and the cat was named Puff. In any case, first editions of Sally, Dick, and Jane are now valuable.

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  6. Christine, I'm not sure, but, yeah, must have been SD & J or something similar. The point was to speak to others from a text, so I'm not sure creativity entered into it all that much.

    BTW-Brian at PaperSponge has a big stash of paper ephemera I recall from the occasional postcard and paper ephemera shows I attended in Cleveland and Akron back in the 1990s. Nice to see them on the Web. Jack/Youngstown

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  7. Glad you like the postcards! I have to admit, I love going postcard shopping with a mission!

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  8. Postcard Killers --- that really has my attention! I've been wanting to write an illustrated novel/cozy mystery based on my French postcards.

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