In our tech-drenched world, it’s so easy to become distant from our friends and even our own family. I often forward certain emails to my hubby’s email, just in case I forget to talk to him about some issue.
That’s why we should bring back sending cards to each other. Doesn’t every mom love the idea of finding a card perched inside her mailbox when she peeks in? If you’re having a bad day or even a bad week, isn’t it wonderful to walk back into the house, grab a cup of coffee or tea, plop down on the couch and open the envelope. What a way to encourage a friend or loved one!
And I hear some of you (me included) comment on the costs of cards yet the cost is less than a cup of coffee. Ladies, what are you waiting for? Next time you’re out, take a few minutes at the grocery store or bookstore and peruse the stacks of cards and pick one for a special friend.
So why this blog post? I’m participating in DaySpring’s Inspired Deals Review where I picked out a selected item of theirs, they sent it to me and I get to talk about it on my blog. How fun is that!
So I picked their Encouragement card set and WOW, I was pleasantly surprised. These cards are contemporary, fun and heart-felt. You know when you stand at the card stand and there are some really “gooberish” cards that you wouldn’t even send your grandmother…These, ladies, are fun and sweet! And just to be legal: DaySpring sent me these cards at no cost to me and I’m not being paid to write this blog post. 🙂
I also get to give away a $20 gift certificate to anything at DaySpring Online Store. So please leave a comment in the next 48 hours on when was the last time you received a NON-birthday card and how did it make you feel? Or when was the last time you sent a NON-birthday card? Tweet this and you get a second entry.
AND TO SHARE THE LOVE, IF YOU SEND ME YOUR ADDRESS AT JAN@JANUDLOCK.COM AND TELL ME WHY YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT TODAY, I’LL SEND YOU ONE OF DAYSPRING’S CARDS. I LOVE ‘EM THAT MUCH! (I’m not yelling; I just want to make sure you see this added hug to you.)
Last week I sent a thank you note to one of the PTA Presidents at my son’s school. She hosted a lovely event for people who had helped during the year. Thank yous, maybe even more than birthdays, are the cards that I send lately. Love to extend gratitude to people in my life! These cards look beautiful. What a fun giveaway, Jan!
I’m sure any mom who is a PTA “volunteer” works hard and truly appreciates your warm thank you. Great job!
And thank you for the tweet about this giveaway, too.
j
Jan, This is such a great idea. I remember three non-birthday cards I received.I take them out and read them periodically. They always bring a smile and make me feel loved and appreciated.
Oh Anita,
Your comment about rereading your cards made me tear up! It makes me want to send out more cards! Thank you for your thoughts.
What a fun blog exercise! I’m jealous! I love cards, but they ARE expensive so I don’t buy them as often as I should. I’d have to say that the last non-birthday card I sent was also a thank you card. But I think the most fun ones to send are the “thinking of you” cards. Whether I’m sending one to a friend going through a difficult time or “just because”…I just like to let them know that miles may be between us but I’m always thinking of them. I can’t remember the last time I got a non-birthday card, but I did just receive a special thank you letter that I’m going to blog about tomorrow.
As I was saying, Jan, we’re on the same wavelength these days because I blogged about handwritten notes yesterday! So, to answer your questions: Last time I sent a non-birthday card was yesterday when I sent a bunch of thank you notes. Last time a non-birthday card made a big difference to me was when a colleague sent me a thank you note for holding up the fort while she worked on another project. I’d been miffed about that project and her note was a little redemption in an otherwise hurtful episode.
I’m an old-fashioned Southern gal. I send thank you notes for everything, business and personal. I have professional thank you notes with my book’s cover (so I admit it’s also marketing). Personally, I like buying cards in bulk (I’ll be checking out these guys!) to get the costs down, but I also make my own. My mom and I always take pictures of flowers close up and share. I then print these and glue-dot them to card stock. Instant card.
I send birthday cars and thank you’s all the time, but my favorite cards to send and receive are the miss you, friendship, enouragement, and thinking of you cards. There’s nothing like getting a card in the mail. As much as I love an encouraging or supportive email, it’s just not the same.
I recently found a stack of letters (sniff, nobody sends just plain old letters anymore) from a friend of mine in high school. She died not long after. I cried re-reading them. I plan to blog about this in the next week or so. I need some time to digest it all.
Kudos to the post! Thanks for sharing.
The last time I sent a non-birthday card was a couple months ago (which feels too long ago now that I step back!). A friend was walking thru a rough patch and so I sent her a surprise card. I also love to tuck in “confetti” of some sort (hearts, butterflies, flowers and on and on). Smiling because my family has come to know that when opening a card from me, it’s like a “party in an envelope” because of all of the “sprinkles” that fall out.
Sending cards is important to me because I just remember when I had cancer as a teen and how much I treasured the cards I received. There were lots of lonely days when I wasn’t up to talking on the phone. With a card, even if I wasn’t up to reading it right then, I could *always* look at it and/or hold it, remember my friend’s kind gesture and soak up the love.
I don’t even get birthday cards in the mail! The last time I got something in the mail was at Christmas time. All of our homemade Christmas ornaments from 26 years of marriage got ruined. Some very dear sweet friends got together (online) and sent me ornaments from their trees. They sent lovely cards along with the ornaments telling me their stories — some were antique from grandparents! Those cards were more precious to me than almost anything I can think of. I have saved them all and our new tradition will be re-reading these cards each year as we decorate our tree with these wonderful love gifts.
Wow, all these card senders in the crowd! I feel awful: I don’t remember the last time I sent a card.
I did get a thank you card just the other week after we took a friend out for a simple birthday supper. It made me feel very special and I vowed to pass on the feeling… Soon… I will… I promise!
And what a neat concept, this Inspired Deals.
I love this! I want to start being an encouragement too. I have several Dayspring cards I’m planning to use to encourage some friends who are struggling right now. A friend recently sent me a card just to tell me she’s praying for me – it was just what I needed that day.
I sent my friend Mackenzie a DaySpring card. She just moved to Tampa, FL and I miss her! We talk on the phone everyday, and when she got the card she was very surprised. She appreciated it. I sometimes struggle with what to write in cards, but I am getting better!
I haven’t received a CARD in a while, but I got a letter just last week from my sweet grandma, and that always makes my day. My grandparents and I exchange letters about once a week, and it is awesome. I have a friend, though, who sends me random love gifts like books, cards, cookies in the mail when I least expect it, and I find that to be such a blessing, so I’ve taken to trying to send cards as well. 🙂 I’m stopping over from in(Courage)’s link up, but I am going to be returning b/c just from this post, I hear your sweet sister spirit and I know I’m going to love getting to know you more through your blog. 🙂 And I LOVE the one with the umbrella you posted – I ‘ve never seen that card before.
The last time I received a non-birthday card was from my sister. After I got married, I moved to a different state so she wrote me a card to say she loves me. It made my day.