I love cards!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love greeting cards, stationery, pens, notes and all things having to do with writing and correspondence. I absolutely love greeting cards and can easily spend hours looking at cards and choosing the perfect card for the person who will receive it.

I have a stash of cards, note cards and stationery on hand, and still I think I need more. I love card stores, especially independent chains that carry unique cards. Last year when my sister and I were planning a bridal shower for my niece, I spent hours looking for the perfect invitations. Not finding what felt right to me, I eventually decided to make the invitations, which led to delightful hours choosing the paper, the envelopes, the labels, the embellishments, followed by designing and then making the invitations. If I ever make a career change, perhaps I should design and write greeting cards!

Today I had reason to spend time in the card aisle because I am sending a few cards for Mother's Day. I would love to send a card to every mom I know and admire, but these cards are limited to those who are closest to me. Do I go with the funny card, the sentimental card, the nostalgic card? Will my mom, sister, auntie, friend feel my love and appreciation when they hold this card in their hands? Will she know that it was chosen with care and attention to our relationship? Will she think about the fact that the card she holds in her hands was once in my hands?

For me, sending and receiving cards represents love and caring. It says to the receiver that I care about them and I am thinking of them. There might be a special occasion for sending a card, like Mother's Day or a birthday, or I might send one for no reason at all. But each time I send a card, I hope the person on the other end knows that the card they hold represents a little piece of my heart.

As the person receiving a card, I am absolutely tickled and delighted to get my mail and find a card. I know that some people actually toss their cards after reading them, but not me, no sirree! I keep the cards I get; they are little nuggets of love and caring from my friends and family. I have a treasure trove of cards dating back to my childhood. While I don't look at them often, every so often I go through them and remember the occasion for which they were sent.

For me, it's not just Hallmark cards that mean you care enough to send the very best (but what great branding), it is sending any card, note or letter which conveys to the person receiving it that somewhere in this great big world, there is another person thinking about them and sending loving thoughts their way!