Perhaps you save the greeting cards you receive, as I do. Recently, I came across a stack that I’d forgotten. Smiles and remembrances of friends blossomed in my soul. Oh, to be sent such cheering messages, kind words, and celebratory notes on a weekly basis. An email is nice; a greeting card is much nicer, more save-worthy, and more colorfully visual. Some of the cards I have received I tuck on the refrigerator or a bulletin board. Some of the cards are tucked in photo albums. And, still other cards are re-read and trimmed to decorate the gift-tags I find relaxation in making.
Dad once showed us an album he had created while traveling abroad in the 1950s as an exchange student. That album included letters and cards, along with souvenir items from his travels. Mom has albums of all the cards she received celebrating my birth. What fun!
Trish, near Seattle and I have been exchanging cards for birthdays and for no reason at all but to offer a friendly hello note for nearly 20 years. Sometimes we’re trading a travel memory or a story reminder. Other times the message is “I’m thinking of you and cheering you on!” Through marriages, divorces, birthdays, family member deaths, and family member additions – greeting cards are a part of our ongoing connection and friendship.
For all of us, most greeting card exchanges are tied to birthdays and holidays. Why not add “send a card to someone once a week” to your ways-to-stay-connected list of activities?
If you send a card, you’ll often receive a card in return. You know, the old “pen pal” routine! I’ve shared before in the Nesting blog that in college I would spend Saturday mornings writing letters – and would receive so many letters back that my classmates would ask “why do you get so much mail?” Back to dad and mom too, they’ve been exchanging annual greetings with some friends for over 50 years. That’s right – half a century of card sending!
This all adds up to “greeting cards are a form of love and connection which often prompt recipients to save them for future revisiting and memory creation – perhaps even prompting smiles and tears too.”
Note: NestingCards shown are Contemplation by Peg Owens!
Nesting is about the objects and experiences that create a sense of home. Without home, it is difficult to maintain health, find joy, or to be productive. Enjoy the Nesting series of blogs on your search for and creation of a deep sense of home. Also, enjoy browsing NestingCards.com for fun, for gifts, and for joy-spreading possibilities. ~ Jana
Jana Kemp
