Such serendipity. A dear former colleague and her family were vacationing in Mexico City. ON THE EXACT SAME DATES I WAS!!!!! We discovered this through a mutual friend. I couldn’t believe how lucky this was. Unexpected joy is the best.

We shared many dinners and excursions together, and shared tips on the things we had done apart. She recommended the Palacio de Correos de Mexico and I was enamored. I love all things mail. I love stamps. I love connecting through the written word. And. Oh, my goodness. The extravagance. The opulence. I repeatedly oohed and ahhed and gaped and gasped. I couldn’t believe such a structure had been built as a post office. And the preservation! Marble and gild and art and stone and mahogany and brass and statues and…

One of the first exhibits was a collage made of postage stamps. This wasn’t a small collage. It was at least six feet wide by eight feet tall. So. Many. Stamps. And so stunning from afar, where it appeared to be a painting, and so stunning up close, where it became apparent how much painstaking care was needed to create such a masterpiece.

Each room highlighted a different aspect of the postal service. Stamps. Plates to make stamps. Seals for letters. Postal uniforms. Post boxes through the years. Postal art.

And then. There was the special exhibit. People who had stitched letters. Some of the letters were heartbreaking. Messages to children who had died. Messages to former lovers. Messages to family members who had passed into the next world. Messages to friends. All were stunningly beautiful.

As we were leaving, my friend said, “That was a museum built for you.” And it was. Every brick, every light fixture, every exhibit, spoke to my heart. Thank you, Mexico. ❤