Goodies for me

As promised, I'm sharing the goodies I got from Nicole. And WOW, are they goodies!

So what arrived was not one but TWO packages:)

And when I opened the first package, I was greeted with the little kitty face that started it all. When I'd commented on Nicole's blog, I noted how cute this little kitty was. And here's my own copy. Yay!

But the kitty was only the beginning. In the same little glassine-like envelope were more goodies.

And then I opened the folder and found all of this!

Check out these awesome labels.

This was probably my favorite ... someone's ledger, detailing expenses. Yes, that first expense is a house payment ... for $38.54. And a grocery bill for 39. Cents.

I don't know if I can eloquently capture how much I love this kind of ephemera. Someone, at some point in history, kept a very detailed list of expenses without any kind of thought that someone like me would one day be allowed this glimpse of their lives. Who were these people? What were their dreams? Did they have children they loved beyond anything?

But it also makes me wonder which of my own random life detritus could someday be treasured by someone I will never know. It's these tangible connections to ... Humanity's history? Does that overstate it? ... that really move me.

And here is a sheet recording the hours that this group of men worked. Where did they work? What did they do? Were they saving for something special for their wife, their mother? Did they wait for the paycheck to spend it all in the bar? Who WERE they?

Just when it couldn't get any better ... I had a second envelope to open. This is what was inside.

I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?