I love mail. As a child I would anxiously wait for the postman on our porch to see if he would bring any surprises. When I became older and moved abroad, it became obvious that nothing could parallel the joy of a letter from home (except maybe a package). Even now when my mail consists mostly of bills, it is the first thing I check when I enter my house.

About a week ago as I was going through my mail at work, I remembered why I love checking mail. Inside my mailbox were two checks from recipient groups of First Book — University of Cincinnati-Raymond Walters College (UCRW). The children liked getting their brand-new books so much that wanted to make sure that other kids get them too. The third graders at Blue Ash Elementary sold bookmarks in their cafeteria and their PTA helped out to make a contribution to First Book. The EH Greene School similarly recognized the amazing work that First Book-UCRW does in their community, and wanted to keep the magic going. What a wonderful mail day, to see the cycle of caring and giving continue to where the recipient group becomes the donor.

I wonder what will come in the mail today…