Fifty-something Match.com newlyweds from Manhattan Beach, CA sent us an awesome beach-themed card from Papyrus (my favorite card store, EVER). In addition to the card, they hysterically pledged to reduce partaking in their daily "vices" (e.g. having too much wine) in the hope that it sends us positive energy and vibes. While I don't think I could ever reduce my red wine intake, we applaud their efforts and thank them for the smiles it brought to our faces!
Fritz from Chicago sent us a "Thank You" note to thank us for thanking him. Does that make sense? If not, I'll explain. I write and mail personal notes to anyone who sends us $100 or more as a donation for our medical bills. It's the very least Bryan and I can do as we strongly believe that an actual letter is a much, much better "thank you" than shooting off an email. Well, apparently we surprised Fritz with our thank you, as he replied with his own thank you note. It was great and we loved knowing that our hand-written letters are not only received, they're appreciated.
Apologies for the break. It's a been a rough couple of weeks, but the clouds have parted and Bryan is doing great. So I'm back in action on our P.O. Box 352351 blog! Thanks so waiting so patiently for new posts...
A few months ago, Emily and Brian from Iowa sent a package that almost made my heart stop for a moment. It was an exact copy of the rosary bag that Francine had so graciously lent to me to house my lost-and-then-found diamond. I couldn't believe it and was so incredibly happy to have my own version of the memorable bag. Somehow, I just can't bring myself to use it. Instead, it is prominently displayed on our bookshelf, right next to our engagement ring box and champagne cork on which Bryan wrote "Will you marry me?" It holds a really special place in my heart. Many thanks to Emily and Brian.
Trever sent a card that both made us laugh and gasp in astonishment. He took off half of his "lucky chevrons" from his Marines uniform and sent it to Bryan to watch over him and keep him safe. We couldn't believe it; we look at those chevrons often and hope that there is really some good luck left in them! Trevor writes:
Hey Bryan & Christie, I'm not going to pretend that I know you because your voice used to be trapped in my iPod from TACS but I was genuinely sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Your infectious optimism and off-handed comments (especially when they went unnoticed by your colleagues) were the best part of the show. I sent along 1/2 the set of chevrons I wore overseas while I was in the Marines. They were good luck in keeping me safe; I'm sure there's some good luck left in them for you. Keep your head up; many more people are pulling for you than you could realize. Wishing you guys the best. - Trevor. P.S. Fuck cancer.
Carl in Texas made me cry when I opened his letter. My words won't do it justice, so I'll just share what Carl said. What a truly amazing man. We are so sorry for his loss and hope he finds comfort in the love that he and his wife obviously shared not only for each other, but for those less fortunate around them.
"Hello and good morning from Houston, Texas. I only know of you and your upcoming triumph through the great (and I don't use that word often) Adam Carolla podcast. I read the web page about making a donation and really needed to offer whatever support I can at this time. By no means am I affluent and I cannot event state in this letter what amount I'll be able to donate. I am about to go buy some money orders to pay my bills. I get paid again this Thursday so whatever I have left after the money orders are paid is yours. "My need to help is linked to my wife, who passed away on May 11 from congestive heart failure at the age of 44. She lost her battle with illness one month after we found out she was truly sick. But during her glorious life, she would climb over other people to lend assistance. This included donating hundreds of dollars to charities, causes, and people she knew only from a blog or message board (in some way, the strictly tangential relationship we have far exceeds the persons she helped). Not only would she donate money, she would use her needle art skills to make them or their children some house warming presents. She partnered with Habitat for Humanity to decorate the houses of new homeowners. To bring it back to the subject of this letter, she would have sent what I enclosed (probably more since we had two incomes). So in addition to the money order, I have enclosed a very small sampling of her talent. She did much better work than this including a full sized Monopoly board! "At any rate, it is my hope that the enclosed funds help diminish some of the worries you may have during this speed bump on the expressway of life. I am fully faithful that the upcoming triumph will be that much sweeter because of the pain you are suffering under currently. During my evening prayers, I will toss a few words in for you. It can't hurt. God bless you both and congratulations. - Carl"
Teresa from Ohio sends this incredible letter and CD play list that she made for her daughter, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. We just received this yesterday and were blown away by Teresa's beautifully-written letter and incredible gesture of sending us a copy of the custom-made CD. We're off to another wedding this weekend and we may very well check out the play list on the plane. There's never a bad time for some impromptu inspiration or even meditation. It helps more than you know, both for Bryan and me.
Teresa says, "Hello, congratulations and good luck. It feels quite strange to send a card that serves to introduce me, to congratulate you on your recent nuptials and to wish you good luck in your battle with that damned, inconvenient tumor, but I was compelled to do so. Since I have been reading your blogs, I've come to think of you as friends. Hence...this card. I believe I stumbled across your blog when I was googling Dr. Black. I stopped in the middle of that frantic search and read your blogs from start to finish. My daughter had recently received a devastating diagnosis and that's why I was searching – for hope and information. You are just ahead of my daughter in your discovery and your treatment. She too is receiving the IMRT (complete with mask – thanks for the heads up on that) and taking Temodar. I want you both to know that I'm not very religious, but I do believe in the power of positive thoughts/energy, the strength of real friendship, and the love of family. I commit to sending positive energy to you each day in the hopes that it will help you both in some small way. Warmest regards to two of the nicest people I've never met."Welcome to Bryan & Christie Bishop's second blog, P.O. Box 352351. As I've mentioned on our main blog, An Inconvenient Tumor, Bryan and I have been receiving such an outpouring of support from people all over the world. We take daily trips to our P.O. Box only to find hand-written letters, Transformers posters, military paraphernalia, gift cards and more. People share incredibly heart-felt stories and inspire us on a daily basis, so now we'd like to return the favor and share some of that inspiration with you.
This blog, aptly named P.O Box 352351, is dedicated to sharing some of the letters, stories and original gifts we've received through our P.O. Box. It's not limited to the P.O. Box, however, as I'll share some wonderful emails we get as well. Thank you again, and if you want to send anything to us, send it to the address below. Please don't worry about privacy, as I'll never reveal anyone's last name, address (email or otherwise) or post images showing contact information.Bryan & Christie Bishop