Dear Claire,

I so clearly remember the moment we first met in the Pembroke Porter’s Lodge; and eight months or so later, when I first arrived at College and you knocked on my door with the words, ‘Remember me?’ You invited me to your room for tea and homemade Welsh cakes. I could not have asked for a better or dearer friend as we began that whole new chapter in our lives. And indeed, to this day.

So I’m delighted that we are now embarking on a new adventure together! I’m a touch behind you on the family-launching front; and work and travel can sometimes seem all consuming. I also feel, as I know you do, that the world is a tumultuous place at the moment. Given our busy lives, it sometimes it feels as though there is very little we can do about it. But perhaps there is; and perhaps that word ‘little’ is the key. I love this quote from Van Gogh: Great things are done… by a series of small things brought together.

Maybe it’s as simple as doing what we do every day a little differently. For example, have you ever come across everyclick.com in the UK – or goodsearch.com in the US? Just by using these sites as the starting points for online searches, you can support your favorite charities or non-profits without it costing a penny.

If that’s the kind of thing worth sharing on our blog, I will put my thinking cap on for other small things we can do – and share, and learn, and grow from – that might inspire us and help make our world a better and happier place.

Here’s to continuing the correspondence we started all those years ago! And hopefully connecting with others along the way who want to do the same.

With love,

Sam