Alma's secret

A few years back, this postcard caught my eye in an antique store. While I don't frequent antique stores on a regular basis, occasionally I'll wander in... and am always drawn to the postcards. There's something about the stories that each one of them carries from another time or place. This little gem was no exception.

Aside from the charming design that initially caught my attention, I happened to turn it over and find this phrase: "Please don't show this to no one." The front is signed by a girl (woman?) named Alma. When I hold this postcard, I can't help but wonder, what was Alma's story? Who was the subject of her affections? Did she ever have the nerve to give it to him? If so, did he keep the postcard for years and years? And how did Alma's secret end up stuffed in a box in an Antique store in Dearborn, Michigan? And then in an ironic twist of fate, posted on a blog and available for the world to read... or at least the five or six of you who read this? (I love you, mom!)

There's a certain charm in holding a letter that was once held by another that's lost in an e-mail. I'm a strong believer that the power of the handwritten note is alive and well. That perhaps they are even more cherished now than ever before, because it's so much easier to type a message and click "send." Guilty as charged.

A year or so back, I resolved to write one note a day to someone with an encouraging word or a little "hello." This was ambitious, I know. And you can probably guess how long that lasted before my common sense got the better of me. But maybe one note a month is more realistic. That's twelve possible cards that could one day end up in a little store somewhere, in the hands of some other paper lover who might get some crazy idea to do the same thing.

P.S. At the end of this blog is a large version of Alma's postcard (blank) for you to send to your sweetheart!