A little story today.
As you might remember, I am a longtime Filofax user. For those who don’t know, a Filofax is a specific kind of planner made in Great Britain. They’ve been around a long time. I first discovered them when I was teaching at Boston University. One of my colleagues had one – stuffed with all kinds of calendars and addresses and information – and I was fascinated by it. I knew immediately that this was the kind of planner that would work for me, one that would meet the challenge of recording class schedules, rehearsal schedules, to do lists, etc. (Even with the advent of iPhones and laptops, I still need to write things down. That makes them real to me.)
But I was poor. So the best I could do was to buy the Filofax inserts (the calendar, etc.) but use an cheap cover, which is all I could afford. Over the years, I strayed at times, trying Day Planners, Year at a Glance, even a Palm Pilot, but I always came back to Filofax. When we moved out east, I started working in the city a lot and I found the perfect stationery store which carried Filofaxes. I finally bought a planner.
Here it is, from a post in 2013. It’s been well loved; a little battered, but beautiful. I will never give it up. It’s the Kensington model, which is, sadly, no longer being produced.
Okay. Fast forward to a blog I love called Philofaxy – all about planners and how people use them (which I find utterly fascinating.) I recently learned there was a Facebook group associated with the blog and I joined. I’ve been thinking of updating my planner so that all the wear and tear isn’t concentrated on one planner, so I posed a question about my Kensington and a model called Malden and whether changing over would be a good idea. I had lots of responses, very helpful and generous information. Many urged me to hang on to my Kensington because they’re so well made. (I will.)
I received a notice of a comment from a woman who contributes to the blog and remembered a post I wrote on MHC circa 2013 about how much I loved my Filofax. I was chuffed that she had read it! And then another comment followed, from Deborah, in which she said she was a longtime reader of the blog (2 people who had read the blog!) She expressed her appreciation for MHC and said that she had a Malden that she wanted to give me. Could I DM her my address?
I was stunned. Give me? Are you kidding me? Needless to say, I expressed my gratitude at her generous gesture in my reply, as I still couldn’t get over her offer. We exchanged information and this arrived yesterday:
It’s simply beautiful.
She included some dividers that she thought I would like.
She was right. Aren’t they absolutely charming? Just the kind of whimsy that I love.
I’ve since transferred my calendars, etc., from the Kensington to the Malden. The Kensington needs some polishing and restoring and I’m going to do that.
Over the almost 12 years I’ve been blogging, I have been humbled again and again by the generosity of my readers. I’ve been given so many gifts, simply because readers want to thank me for the blog. I don’t deserve it. I say this because I mean it, not to illicit any responses of “Oh yes, you do.” I’m not making light of those responses – they mean the world to me. When someone writes a comment saying how much this blog, or a certain post, has helped them, or how it provides a pocket of peace and sanity in these times, my eyes tear up. I often share those responses with Don and I start to cry. So your words and actions mean a great deal to me.
I simply write from my heart on any given day, hoping it strikes a chord of some kind. It helps me. That you appreciate those words or pictures is the icing on the cake. So I’m not feigning humility, it’s truly how I feel.
Thank you, Deborah. Thank you so much! And thank you all for being out there, for comforting me in times of loss or fear, for sharing your thoughts with me, for being my friends. I never take you for granted.
_____________
One quick note: I’ve received some questions lately that have come via a response to the email version of the posts. As I have said many times in the past, I am unable to respond to those because that email is from my server and is only for the posts. If you have a question, please come to the blog and leave it in the comments. I believe you can click on the post title in the email and it will bring you to the blog. Failing that, send an email to me via the envelope icon at the top of the sidebar on the right and I’ll gladly respond. Thanks.
Happy Saturday.
What a lovely and generous gift, Claudia! It’s a treasure for sure.
It truly is. Thank you, Judy.
Wonderful gift. You might like to visit the website of the firm P.W. Akkerman in Amsterdam. They sell the most beautiful things, amongst others Filofax.
Oh, don’t tempt me, Dorien!
That is exactly why I LOVE your blog… you write from your heart! That is what I desire/love from a true friend.
Thank you for your kind words, Cathy. xo
When you say “a pocket of peace and sanity” you have it exactly right. I look forward to your blog every day.
Thank you so much, Melanie.
How generous and how lovely. And I adore those dividers!
I’m into my thirteenth year blogging and ironically, as more and more go to instagram, I find I have more followers and commenters and they are indeed loyal. I’ve stayed with them in Europe; others have stayed with me, and more than a few lunches or dinners have been shared with those I knew only online. And you are right about the gifts — something just appearing out of nowhere that is so thoughtful, so spot on, it is like you’ve known one another your entire lives. In many ways, I know blog friends more fully than I do some of my local friends. There’s an openness and honesty that we share because — well, because we don’t have to, we want to.
When I was reading comments on my post today I couldn’t help but think that these people who weighed in so quickly were sharing experiences that were collective experiences among us all. Memories that flood back, make us think of other times and places. We celebrate each others’ successes, worry about their challenges, laugh at their stories, or maybe even (yes, I’ve done it) shed a tear.
I’m not surprised that your blog friends honor you with something special. You deserve it, of course. Because you — really, all bloggers — give to their readers something unique and special. And that “something” is different to every writer, to every reader. But it matters. You do too.
I’ll never tire of blogging or of reading blogs. By the way, I read yours, but for some reason, I can’t comment on Blogger blogs anymore. It’s very frustrating! The community among bloggers and those who comment and read them consistently is one of the most powerful gifts I have been given, Jeanie.
That’s super weird, not being able to comment. Have you tried with anonymous or the name /url option? I hate that! But glad to know it.
You’re right about the blogger community and the steady readers/commenters. We become friends, not just online acquaintances. There are so many blogs one can read and so little time in all our days that just in making the effort to read regularly is a bit of a gift. I think it’s a contact that some people are seeking now, in this fast world of texts. They can get the message out, but not the soul.
Yes, I’ve tried all options. I also have a Blogger account and it’s still not working. I know of several others with the same problem. So sorry!
What a lovely gift!
I still use a paper calendar at work (albeit a freebie off the internet). I find the act of writing something down helps me commit it to memory and my job requires that I immediately know “when” on dozens of files when asked.
The deep freeze has begun and it’s snowing again, so a good day to stay in and read once the usual Saturday jobs are finished. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje is waiting for me to start.
Please know you are appreciated! Reading your daily posts (and of course all your readers’ comments) was a most welcome distraction after my setback in the early winter.
I’m very glad to hear that, Barbara. If it helped even a little, that makes me happy. xo
You brightened some dark days more than you’ll ever know.
Much love, Barbara.
Oh, great gift, Deborah!
Claudia, you know that all of us, here these many years, love to repay you in whatever small way we can for the countless hours of friendship, commiseration, beauty, whimsy, and simple enjoyment we take away from this blog of yours. Thank you, friend that I’ve never met.
And thank you, Shanna. You all mean so much to me!
What a treasure!
Truly! Thank you, Lynda.
So special! as you are & all your commenters – a treat to open & read every day that it is here.
Sooo thrilled for you for up-coming job.
xoxo
Thank you, Martha. It’s not an extensive commitment, but I’m really looking forward to it!
The previous comments have expressed really well every thing I would want to say, so I will just say Thank you Claudia for the refuge you provide – it’s glorious, positive and feels like a hug from a dear friend
Siobhan
Oh. That’s lovely! Thank you, Siobhan!
Hello friend, people are authentically generous simply because you are so wonderfully authentic yourself. MHC is always good for my soul, even if we differ on subjects I always feel that I have had a meaningful chat with a friend.
xoxo
Well, then I am happy. That’s how I want it to be here. Thank you, my friend!
Claudia, I have “known” you for many years and I’ve always considered you a humble person. I also know that you truly appreciate your readers. I have always loved your blog because of the diversity of things you write about, the way you write and express yourself, your lovely photographs, your down-to-earth style (in every which way), your beautiful home, and the things you share with us. Life. I feel like I actually know you and Don ~ and I truly hope that I get to meet both of you in person one day!
It’s easy for us to complain about humanity in general, but we also are blessed to know that there ARE truly good people out there. The generosity of this woman is astounding. That Malden is absolutely beautiful and I love the inserts. What a gift!
xoxo
Indeed! Every day, through this blog, I witness the goodness of people. It restores me in the midst of all the headlines we read on a daily basis. Thank you, Melanie!
How wonderful and it is beautiful. The friendships we make on social media have surprised me very much but in a very good way! Hugs.
They’re very powerful. Don gets it. He’s been witness to comments from readers, to stories I have shared about my readers/friends. He often speaks about it. Thank you, my friend.
What a lovely, lovely gift! And those dividers definitely put it over the top! You’ve become a spot “to look forward to” each morning for many (definitely including ME!).
Thank you so much, Debbie! I’m so glad you’re here.
How lovely. I like the inserts Deborah added.
Marilyn
They’re really charming, aren’t they?
I am so behind Claudia. This past week I ate, slept, and dreamed tutoring K-3 children in reading. Happily, I can report I am now a Reading Corps Reading Tutor.
Having said all that I wish I had read your post before I ordered my day planner. I didn’t have a clue what I was looking for or even really needed, I only knew I needed something to keep track of my 20 something kids’ schedules. l think I ordered the wrong thing. Aw well I’ll make due and know better next year.
We, your readers love you simply because you love us.
Thank you, Trudy. It sounds like you’re very busy and happily so! I’m so excited for you, my friend. That is good, meaningful work that you’re doing. xo
Hello Claudia
I was so happy to see you gifted by a reader. I am a regular reader who has never commented. You see I am a mom of college girls , a wife, a daughter of a great 86 year old man with advanced Parkinsons and an attorney who works long hours. I am almost always two weeks behind in my blog reading and oft times feel like I’m running for a train that has left the station.
That having been said , there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning and relishing the beautiful sharing that happens in the wonderful blogging world. I’ve taught my daughters that women make the world go round…and it’s true! The manner in which you share your thoughts and your life is so very generous. It is so appreciated, by all of your readers….even those that never seem to comment. You give us a gift with each post.
And when I read your line about tearing up in response to a reader’s comments, I wanted to tell you ,dear Claudia , that your words touch so many more readers than you know.
Thank you for your generous spirit.
Best,
Susan
You are very busy, Susan! I’m grateful you read the blog and I thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a great deal to me. Never worry about commenting! Just enjoy the blog. Thank you for finding time in your busy life to stop by. xo
You don’t know what you don’t what you don’t know.
I hadn’t realized that Filofax was a U.K. thing.
The USA seems to have really good planners and inserts. Although maybe more inspirational quotes than I am used to.
The impact of your daily writing shouldn’t be underestimated.
Thank you, Rue. I so appreciate that.
to deborah …
what a lovely gift! those inserts are very sweet, too.
hope you are having a nice weekend. :)
kathy in iowa
and to claudia …
that filofax sounds perfect for you. am sure you are already enjoying it. may you have lots of fun and exciting things to enter in it … including more work for you and don, many good books you’ve read and hopefully another trip to paris (a wish and prayer i have for you)!
hope you are in the middle of a good weekend!
kathy in iowa
Fingers crossed, Kathy! Thank you.
What a lovely gift. And you are most deserving sweet Claudia.
xo
Thank you, Maureen!