When the marvelous Mrs. Steidle first introduced herself in August of ‘22, she wrote what so many of us feel, “There is something special about finding a personal, handwritten greeting in amongst the piles of junk mail, bills, and catalogs delivered daily. It warms my heart! And I’d like to think that the effort I put into my correspondence makes someone’s day, too.
“I’m from an era when written correspondence was the Only correspondence,” laughed Marilyn, “aside from the telephone, and I can remember back to ‘party lines.’ Cards, thank you notes, and long, newsy letters to close friends are still part of my life, and I have greeting cards and boxed note cards for all occasions.
“I don’t recall how I discovered Cardthartic, but I was hooked from the start,” she said. “Now I keep a Cardthartic stash and replenish it regularly. My favorite design is whichever one I’ve chosen for the moment but, if pressed, I would say I most love the many condolence designs with their breathtaking pictures and poignant messages. They seem to capture what is in my heart, and just adding a personal message of remembrance completes the sentiment. As a beach lover, I especially like #93542, the Seashell on the Shore condolence.
“When I retired after 32 years in education,” Marilyn explained, “I heard many retired friends say that they couldn’t imagine how they’d once managed to get everything done at home back when they’d gone off to work every day, they felt so busy in retirement. I, on the other hand, seemed to be doing nothing all day and yet it took me all day to do it!
“When I shared that sentiment with one of those friends, she hooted and said, ‘That’s good! I’m gonna use that!’ Knowing that my favorite card company likes to publish messages written by their customers, I submitted it.
“In the summer of 2022, I received an unexpected email from Cardthartic’s Creative team saying they would like to publish a funny retirement card message that I’d submitted. I emailed back to say, ‘Hooray for me!!! What a surprise! I had forgotten that I’d submitted anything. What a perfect picture and what a perfect sentiment, if I do say.’”
“When asked if I’d like to dedicate the card to someone, I said, ‘With love to Jim.’ (Jim is my hubby with Alzheimer’s. Thought we would have many golden retirement years together, but it was not to be.)
“I added that, as lighthearted as my retirement message is, on a more serious note, I have been thinking about what a card for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s might say. Along the lines of ‘thinking of you,’ but more personal, more poignant. A comforting card for those of us in the trenches.”
Then Marilyn shared, “Our little granddaughter Allie, age seven, only knows her ‘Pop’ with Alzheimer’s, and she loves him as is, unconditionally. While he’s now in Memory Care, we’ve told her that he’s away at camp :) In light of his progression, I have been protective of her and have not yet taken her for a visit. When I warned Allie that he might not know her anymore, she never skipped a beat, saying, ‘That’s okay, Mimi, he will remember me in his heart.’ Out of the mouths of babes.”
After reading that, we reached right back out to Allie’s wise and witty Mimi to ask if she agreed that her precocious grandchild had just captured “the more personal, more poignant and comforting message for those of us in the trenches” that Marilyn had imagined.
“Yes!” she replied, “I LOVE the card! You may certainly credit Allie for the sentiment. And, for a dedication, I am going out on a limb and offer: For Pop with love now and forever.
Allie’s card was published in Cardthartic’s Big Book in January 2023, and we soon heard from a tickled Marilyn, “I showed Allie the article about her and Pop in your catalog and, at first, she didn’t know what to make of it. But when it clicked, she asked, ‘Am I famous?!’ What an honor! Better than being a TikTok star and gives her great ‘street cred,’” Marilyn said.
One proud Mimi reported that our youngest Contributing Cardie “took ‘her card’ and one of the catalogs to school and became an instant celebrity. At lunch, she was allowed to share it with the student body (K-4) with a special announcement by one of the ‘lunch ladies.’ The kids were understandably clueless, but many of the staff were tickled because they were former students of ‘Pop’ or knew of him from his teaching career in the district. Her teacher displayed the article outside the classroom door for any and all interested parties, and Allie has been encouraging everyone to ‘Order from the book!’”
As for Mimi, she grades the card message Allie inspired as, “Perfect and so appropriate. It conveys a sentiment that I often write in notes to folks who are in the midst of caregiving, but the card form is more beautiful and personal.”
Yay! We can’t wait to see what messages bubble up from the Steidle family next. With love, now and forever.
Designs with Messages by Marilyn
Marilyn’s Favorites
When the marvelous Mrs. Steidle first introduced herself in August of ‘22, she wrote what so many of us feel, “There is something special about finding a personal, handwritten greeting in amongst the piles of junk mail, bills, and catalogs delivered daily. It warms my heart! And I’d like to think that the effort I put into my correspondence makes someone’s day, too.
“I’m from an era when written correspondence was the Only correspondence,” laughed Marilyn, “aside from the telephone, and I can remember back to ‘party lines.’ Cards, thank you notes, and long, newsy letters to close friends are still part of my life, and I have greeting cards and boxed note cards for all occasions.
“I don’t recall how I discovered Cardthartic, but I was hooked from the start,” she said. “Now I keep a Cardthartic stash and replenish it regularly. My favorite design is whichever one I’ve chosen for the moment but, if pressed, I would say I most love the many condolence designs with their breathtaking pictures and poignant messages. They seem to capture what is in my heart, and just adding a personal message of remembrance completes the sentiment. As a beach lover, I especially like #93542, the Seashell on the Shore condolence.
“When I retired after 32 years in education,” Marilyn explained, “I heard many retired friends say that they couldn’t imagine how they’d once managed to get everything done at home back when they’d gone off to work every day, they felt so busy in retirement. I, on the other hand, seemed to be doing nothing all day and yet it took me all day to do it!
“When I shared that sentiment with one of those friends, she hooted and said, ‘That’s good! I’m gonna use that!’ Knowing that my favorite card company likes to publish messages written by their customers, I submitted it.
“In the summer of 2022, I received an unexpected email from Cardthartic’s Creative team saying they would like to publish a funny retirement card message that I’d submitted. I emailed back to say, ‘Hooray for me!!! What a surprise! I had forgotten that I’d submitted anything. What a perfect picture and what a perfect sentiment, if I do say.’”
“When asked if I’d like to dedicate the card to someone, I said, ‘With love to Jim.’ (Jim is my hubby with Alzheimer’s. Thought we would have many golden retirement years together, but it was not to be.)
“I added that, as lighthearted as my retirement message is, on a more serious note, I have been thinking about what a card for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s might say. Along the lines of ‘thinking of you,’ but more personal, more poignant. A comforting card for those of us in the trenches.”
Then Marilyn shared, “Our little granddaughter Allie, age seven, only knows her ‘Pop’ with Alzheimer’s, and she loves him as is, unconditionally. While he’s now in Memory Care, we’ve told her that he’s away at camp :) In light of his progression, I have been protective of her and have not yet taken her for a visit. When I warned Allie that he might not know her anymore, she never skipped a beat, saying, ‘That’s okay, Mimi, he will remember me in his heart.’ Out of the mouths of babes.”
After reading that, we reached right back out to Allie’s wise and witty Mimi to ask if she agreed that her precocious grandchild had just captured “the more personal, more poignant and comforting message for those of us in the trenches” that Marilyn had imagined.
“Yes!” she replied, “I LOVE the card! You may certainly credit Allie for the sentiment. And, for a dedication, I am going out on a limb and offer: For Pop with love now and forever.
Allie’s card was published in Cardthartic’s Big Book in January 2023, and we soon heard from a tickled Marilyn, “I showed Allie the article about her and Pop in your catalog and, at first, she didn’t know what to make of it. But when it clicked, she asked, ‘Am I famous?!’ What an honor! Better than being a TikTok star and gives her great ‘street cred,’” Marilyn said.
One proud Mimi reported that our youngest Contributing Cardie “took ‘her card’ and one of the catalogs to school and became an instant celebrity. At lunch, she was allowed to share it with the student body (K-4) with a special announcement by one of the ‘lunch ladies.’ The kids were understandably clueless, but many of the staff were tickled because they were former students of ‘Pop’ or knew of him from his teaching career in the district. Her teacher displayed the article outside the classroom door for any and all interested parties, and Allie has been encouraging everyone to ‘Order from the book!’”
As for Mimi, she grades the card message Allie inspired as, “Perfect and so appropriate. It conveys a sentiment that I often write in notes to folks who are in the midst of caregiving, but the card form is more beautiful and personal.”
Yay! We can’t wait to see what messages bubble up from the Steidle family next. With love, now and forever.
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