I didn’t know it at the time, but 48 hours was all the time I stayed with the most extraordinary woman I’d ever met. that woman was my mom.
As I reflect, the night before his death was no different than any other. but the next day and every day since, it has never been the same. Mom had now been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in her life. the first time she would beat him, the second time, no.
This time, Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, which would eventually metastasize to her liver and take her life in 2008.
I am the youngest of three children and the only girl. To say that my life was shattered when my mother died would be an understatement. my mom was my best friend and when she died, I wanted to die too. I felt sad, empty and alone all the time. one day my mind was really in this cycle of taking my own life, i couldn’t stop it. But while I was imagining how it would all end, the idea of a postage stamp popped into my brain.
You see, in 1994 I was hired as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service®. I loved my job and worked my way up from mail carrier to my current position in communications in Sacramento, California.
But before I was promoted to my current role, I was delivering mail and walking door to door every day. it was a job he loved. provided me with a great team of co-workers, good income, the benefits of working outdoors, and interacting with great clients on a daily basis.
One day, while delivering the mail, I noticed the postage stamp. I had seen one every day for almost the last 15 years, but that day, for some strange reason, it got me thinking. It made me think of its purpose. I wouldn’t think about it again until years later, when I was contemplating suicide, after my mother died.
I reflected on the primary purpose of the postage stamp. yes, it allows your mail to be delivered, but its main purpose is to stick to your letter, postcard, or package until its job is complete. the postage stamp never strays from its purpose. he has only one goal and fervently sticks to his goal until it is realized. the postage stamp never gives up.
if the postage stamp has only one purpose in life and never strays from that purpose, then how could I stray from mine? how could I end my life before achieving my purpose and reaching my goals? how could i give up?
Over the next few weeks, I would come back to this analogy over and over again. never left my mind. As I began to contemplate my purpose, my thoughts of suicide subsided. I’ve always been an avid reader, so when I read that it only takes 21 days to form a new habit, I decided to do something unheard of, at least for me anyway. I decided to get up at 4 a.m. m. for 21 days in a row and go to the gym before going to work, that was in 2009 and today, in 2017, I continue with the same routine.
I credit the postage stamp for saving my life
When you think of something that will save your life, a postage stamp doesn’t exactly come to mind.
But for me, the postage stamp helped reorient my thinking. the postage stamp allowed me to reframe my negativity. Instead of continuing to feel sorry for myself, I asked, “How can this situation benefit me?” Obviously, the postage stamp wasn’t the only thing that saved me, but it has played an important role in my life for the last ten years and every time I feel like giving something up, I reflect on its purpose and keep going.
So let me ask you, what comes to mind when you think of a postage stamp?
When I think about it, postage stamps are the best ambassadors of your country. The postage stamp is the most well-known postal symbol in the world. the postage stamp has traveled a lot. he travels from one country to another representing the past, present and future of his nation.
The primary function of a stamp is, of course, to pay for postage, but if you take the time to really examine a stamp, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about many topics across a wide range of subjects. you can learn about your family’s history and even trace your roots through postage stamps. Postage stamps can also help you in your decision to never give up, no matter what life throws at you, as he has done for me.
postage stamps are small in size but touch all aspects of our society. they are true miniature masterpieces.
what is your favorite postage stamp?
My favorite postage stamp is shown below. It reminds me of giving, because mom was the best giver.
choose your favorite postage stamp at postal store®:
Also, to learn more about what a letter goes through, and ultimately the postage stamp to get to its destination, the systems in operation video on usps tv shows the process.