One of my penpals, Cath, is from the Netherlands. We “met” through the Letter Writers Alliance website when they posted about my volunteer role with Honor Flight Chicago. Cath sent some gorgeous postcards with beautiful notes for the World War II veterans. I was touched by her lovely words and I sent her an email to thank her for writing. We’ve been corresponding with each other ever since, and Cath has continued to write postcards for veterans this year.
Along with regular cards and letters, Cath has been sending a series of postcards about her community of ‘s-Hertogenbosch and specifically an old cathedral–St. John’s Cathedral–in the town square. I’ve loved receiving these little tidbits and a peek into Cath’s hometown. (I’ve never been to Europe so it is fascinating to me that cathedrals and communities have been around for several hundred years. Everything in the US seems so young, comparatively!) On the back of each card, Cath writes a description and a little history for each card. 
In the picture above, the man with the peas and the angel on the cell phone are both part of the cathedral. The man with the peas is from the 14th century (he has been restored since then). According to Cath, “the story goes his wife had cooked him peas and put them on the stone floor to cool. As he saw them, he got angry and said this was a meal very much beneath his status as a building master.” The cell phone angel was added two years ago, and according to Cath, “you can call [a number] and she gives you information about the cathedral…And her phone only has one push button, for a direct line to heaven.”
I have really enjoyed this postal series from Cath! I love this concept as a way to share communities and favorite places with pen pals.
Thank you, Cath, for the glimpse at your hometown! I placed the whole postcard series in the timecard holder on my desk so I can enjoy the lovely cathedral just a little bit longer.
kimberly ah 