Thank goodness for snail mail. You remember snail mail, right? You know, those long, white envelopes, newspapers and packages that come straight to your home?

I live by my computer, my emails, my cell phone, my text messages—you name it. But I have found that there is nothing like opening your mail box and sorting through the bills and the sales papers only to find a letter or card from someone near and dear.

Having said all that, I believe it’s time for an update on our newly adopted New Zealand family, including the latest on the city of Luverne’s newest, official honorary citizen, little Luverne Wright.

When I shuffled through my mail last week and found the envelope postmarked Hamilton, New Zealand, I was like a kid at Christmas. Inside were new photos of all six of the children – Austin, Memphis, Lafayette, Augusta, Maydelle, and Luverne—plus, a photo of their mom, Sooz Wright, holding Luverne and her certificate of honorary citizenship that Mayor Joe Rex Sport had sent them. (Please see photos on Page 5A.)

I knew that Mr. Joe Rex and Mrs. Barbara were going to send the family a care package from the city of Luverne, but I didn’t know about that particular part. Sooz was so excited.

“We’ve told absolutely everyone about her citizenship,” Sooz wrote in her letter. “All the other kids are grumbling because they want one, too!”

The family will also receive several Alabama state maps (husband Marc loves maps—that’s one reason for six children with six Southern names), several Alabama lapel pins, and an official Alabama state flag—courtesy of Senator Wendell Mitchell.

After I told him about the family, he sent me a big box full of the above items.

And, Christy Hudson, an employee at the Chicken Shack, stopped me one day as I was paying for my lunch.

“Ms. Regina, I want to do something for the New Zealand children,” she said. “What do you think about sending them all Chicken Shack T-shirts?”

I thought it was a great idea.

Not only that, but Mr. Henry Money, the owner of the Chicken Shack, decided that parents Marc and Sooz needed T-shirts, also. Isn’t that great?

As for little Luverne, also known as “Lulu,” she is getting around by rolling over and over and over until she runs into a wall or some other solid object.

“She squawks until someone comes and rescues her,” Sooz wrote. “Then she gives her rescuer a big, five-tooth grin and starts all over again.”

So, I am presently putting all of these things together in a big care package bound for New Zealand, including odds and ends from me and Samson, my 21-pound tomcat, who has decided that he wants to get in on the act.

Uh, no, Big Boy—I don’t think Purina Cat Chow will hold up well across the miles….

And, no, Luverne does NOT need any kitty litter….

Well, at least his heart is in the right place.

Regina Grayson is the Managing Editor of The Luverne Journal and The Lowndes Signal. She can be reached at regina.grayson@luvernejournal.com.