Friday, January 09, 2015

The Mystery of the New Years New Mailbox


Wasn't THIS bad, but close!

Okay, so, we get home from our Christmas vacation on the second day of the new year. I had asked to have our mail held until December 30th because that was our original date to get home, so I checked on the front porch first to see if our mail might be there, mainly because I was expecting a package that I knew would not fit in the mailbox. Sure enough, our mail was on the porch by our little
Guardian Dragon by front door
dragon, our guardian of the front door. I explain this to give you a better understanding why we didn’t discover the mysterious new mailbox until the third day of the new year. On the third, out I go to check the mail, with my little dog accompanying me as usual, and low and behold, not only is the mailbox looking very clean, but the latch, which has been messed up for months, is miraculously fixed! No, not fixed, brand new. The mailbox is completely brand new. My husband stood on the front porch enjoying the momentarily beautiful weather and I yelled to him, “We have a brand new mailbox!” I had to repeat myself because neither one of us could believe it.
Later, at dinner with friends, I related the mystery of the new mailbox and asked Brad, who used to work for the USPS, if the postal service ever replaced mailboxes that were in need of repair, and of course he said no. It is the customer’s responsibility to provide the mailbox. Which I already knew, but since we didn’t replace our old rusting box, I was searching for possibilities. Nancy, Brad’s wife, suggested that our mutual friends and neighbors, who live four houses down from us, might have replaced our mailbox as a Christmas present, as they had just had theirs replaced a few weeks ago. Now I did ask those friends, and they looked as mystified as I was.
On the off chance, and the only other thing I could think of, I put a note in our new mailbox asking our postal carrier if she might be the Christmas elf, and guess what? She was! She and my husband, right before Christmas, had had a long talk one day and during the conversation he mentioned he
wanted to teach. Evidently, she thought this was a great idea. We had also, before the holidays, left her a Christmas gift, because she really is awesome, just as we did last year.
You can never tell how what you do for others, just because you want to, will influence an unanticipated reaction. And yes, we offered to pay her for the mailbox but she said it was a gift, that anyone who wanted to teach deserved it. Our postal carrier has a truly giving spirit, which made this mystery a joy to solve. Happy New Year everyone! 
Brand Spankin' New Mailbox!!!

old mailbox image from:

14 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa - what a delightful outcome .. and how thoughtful of your Christmas Elf .. brilliant and so heart-warming and thoughtful. Good to know you look after those who help you too with your mail ... fun!! Cheers and a happy New Year to all the mail you'll get in your brand new pristine Spankin' new mailbox ... Cheers Hilary

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  2. What a terrific Christmas story. As a retired teacher, I'm so glad to know someone wants to take on the big job and that people like your postwoman appreciate the calling.

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  3. That was a wonderful thing for her to do! I would've been surprised as well, coming home to a new mailbox.

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  4. Nice mailbox! (I need a mailbox angel where I live :). Hi, Saw you over at Suzanne's website. I thought you gave some great advice on considering hiring an editor. Although my novel has been edited, critiqued and revised more than I can count, I have wondered what a professional could do to make it shine more. I'm about to begin the submission process in the US. Also...just noticed you have a link to Eugenia Price's books. Love her books, a fan from way back. I'll check back to see if you comment. Thanks!

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  5. I love these kinds of stories. How awesome and heartwarming. I've found that many who work for USPS are truly good people.

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  6. That's a very cool story. What a nice gesture.

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  7. What an awesome mail lady you have! That is so sweet!

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  8. Loved this. Really awesome!

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  9. Aw! That's so awesome. People are so amazing, and I suppose that's easy to forget, even when we write about them. Thanks for sharing this story.

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  10. that's such a beautiful story and great inspiration for the new year! :-)

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  11. I love stories of people being so kind to one another. Happy New Year!

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  12. What a lovely story, Lisa! Random acts of kindness create a lot of happiness. Enjoy your new mailbox, thanks to a generous postal carrier!

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  13. What a lovely story to start the new year. Random acts of kindness create a lot of happiness. Enjoy your new mailbox, Lisa, thanks to a generous postal carrier!

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  14. Generosity is a wonderful thing. Just like karma it comes back at us. :-)

    Anna from Shout with Emaginette

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