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"37¢"

Everyday right after Calculus II, I head through the double doors at the bottom of the University Center, pass the coffee shop and the Grill; I merge right then turn left into one of the small rooms of P.O. boxes-- or "T. T. U. boxes" as my mail always says. Usually it’s just junk mail-- flu vaccines for $12 from the infirmary, how much money I owe the school (or better, what it owes me), or that dreaded, dreaded Entertainment Weekly Best Buy tricked me into buying. Well, Ok maybe the other two are important. Most days I walk the extra 30 seconds to discover nothing in my box, but every now and then there will be a little sheet of something I can view through the window before I ever open up my box.

Like I said it’s usually just University mail, but sometimes my mother mails me little cards with, oh, a stick of gum. Sometimes she converts a birthday card in to a "Happy Birthday Tuesday!" card. Or just funny cards with characters on them with a little note that says "Hey that’s Andrew," an old neighbor boy from Mississippi. My friends from different schools and I mail each other semi-frequently. Once again this is just random stuff, but it’s amazing how great these little moments of love and friendship can mean. Actually I’ll send friends that I go to school with at Tech things through campus mail. Random mail brightens my day, so I like to think it will brighten theirs.

Remember, even if it seems like your child is too busy to call you ever day (like my mother wants) or as though they really don’t care about something as silly as mail, they really do. It’s a simple reminder that you do care about them and you are thinking about them. Now, go! Rush out and buy a little silly card, a pack of gum, and a stamp before stamp prices go up again and have some things ready to mail once the semester begins.

Address Mail as Follows:
Student Name
T.T.U. Box ##### (Student should know)
Cookeville, TN 38505