Not long after I received my first postcard from Rich in the United States, I was eagerly awaiting my second. Postcrossing had already begun to captivate me, and each new postcard was like a small treasure from a distant land. My second postcard came from Mirja , a woman living in a small town called Orimattila near Lahti, in southern Finland. I didn’t know much about Finland back then—just vague images of snowy landscapes and forests—but Mirja changed that. Her postcard carried a glimpse into her world, a world that I had never imagined. At the time, she was a gardener, working in a flower shop after years of farming. She had four daughters, her youngest, Jasmin , living with her and playing basketball at a competitive level. Through her message, Mirja painted a picture of family life in Finland, sharing her joys and challenges. It was her openness that truly touched me, especially when she spoke of her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and the hardships she faced, including...