Susan and our company founder Jodee go back decades, to their 20s in Chicago PR. It’s fun to hear this poised and well-spoken professional tell her story about interviewing for her first job out of college. “A bit rattled to be meeting with a higher-up in one of the world’s top public relations firms, I was asked why I felt I deserved the coveted position of Junior Account Executive. I sat a little taller and said quite confidently, ‘Because I believe I communicate well, both orally and verbally.’” Hahaha, well indeed!
A successful PR career later, Susan’s still an awesome communicator (both orally and verbally :) as a strategic writer for respected business-to-business clients, and Jodee still considers her an invaluable sounding board and dear friend. Over the years, her gracious personal notes to Jodee — words of friendship, gratitude and support & encouragement — have been grist for the Cardthartic card mill. With Susan’s permission, Jodee mines every note she sends for potential messages, and we have already published a number of them. And whenever Susan wants to stretch her creative muscles, she knows right where to turn.
Susan with her Mom
Susan’s favorite is condolence card 93227, “She … was quite a lady.” She explains, “When Jodee’s mother passed away back in 2005, a woman who worked at the little coffee shop where DJ had breakfast each morning somehow tracked Jodee down and sent her a note that read, “She was quite a lady. And I will surely miss her smile.” With that kind woman’s permission, Cardthartic published the first part of the message alone and credited DJ’s fan on the card back.
A few years later, when my own mom Pat passed away, I mailed this card (in bulk!) to friends and colleagues who had supported me. Days later, I received the very same card from my dad’s second wife! She had purchased it having no idea that it was made by my beloved Cardthartic, much less that it was my personal favorite!” Susan concludes, “Receiving it was a sweet reminder that God works in mysterious, wonderful ways.”
Beyond writing several Cardthartic cards of her own, Susan has inspired many over the years. She lives with her husband Kim near Cleveland, and loves to visit Jodee on Miami Beach, as the two will spend hours bobbing in the ocean with their floats tied tete-a-tete so they won’t miss a word. As they talk right through lunch and dinners, grinning wait staffs quickly catch onto their “we’re fine for now” brush-offs. “When we’re together, we want every minute we can to hash through this, that and the other,” Jodee says. “We may not solve the world’s problems but, together, we get a better handle on our own. Lots of laughs, a few shared tears and never enough time for all there is to say to one another.”
The Passages card 93781 (shown above) came to be one night when Jodee says she’d just hung up from an hours-long phone conversation with Susan. “You know how sometimes you end a call practically worn out because you’ve covered so much good ground? At the time, I laughed to myself, ‘I love that, no matter how long we talk, there is so much more to say!’ and found the image for those words a few weeks later.
When Susan saw the card she emailed Jodee, “Wow, I am touched and honored. Jodee, I have been thinking about how you and I worked — and work — at our friendship. We try to learn from each other and help each other grow, never taking offense by how brutally honest the other might be. It is very freeing … a glimpse of heaven, actually.”
Around five years ago, Susan and Kim were vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, where Cardthartic is carried in a number of wonderful shops. Susan being Susan, she wanted to go into every shop and would stop and talk to the staff, sharing that she has a close connection with Cardthartic and that she had written this design and knew the backstory on many others. While this was happening one day, Kim was waiting patiently outside. Finally, there came a point that he just had to tease, “Suzie, I love you even more than you love your old friend and her company, so I have to say that it would sure be nice to feel like I was on vacation with my wife and not Cardthartic’s damn brand ambassador!” 🤣
Fast forward to the summer of 2022, Kim and Susan were invited to five weddings and son Dylan served as a groomsman in five more! More importantly, for the previous year, Susan had been helping her daughter Kathleen plan her wedding (which went off without a hitch June 18, 2022 👏🏼).
Cardthartic’s Creative Team was juuust about to wrap up the summer release when this creative and resourceful mother-of-the-bride called her close card publisher-friend and said, “Jodes, could we make Kathleen & Matthew’s day even more special?!” Having six Cardthartic cards already to her credit, she then helped write the lovely wedding design 94091 dedicated to the happy couple. ❤️
Oh, yes, there will be many more cards due to Susan!
Cards with Messages by Susan
Cards Dedicated to Susan
Susan’s Favorites
Susan and our company founder Jodee go back decades, to their 20s in Chicago PR. It’s fun to hear this poised and well-spoken professional tell her story about interviewing for her first job out of college. “A bit rattled to be meeting with a higher-up in one of the world’s top public relations firms, I was asked why I felt I deserved the coveted position of Junior Account Executive. I sat a little taller and said quite confidently, ‘Because I believe I communicate well, both orally and verbally.’” Hahaha, well indeed!
A successful PR career later, Susan’s still an awesome communicator (both orally and verbally :) as a strategic writer for respected business-to-business clients, and Jodee still considers her an invaluable sounding board and dear friend. Over the years, her gracious personal notes to Jodee — words of friendship, gratitude and support & encouragement — have been grist for the Cardthartic card mill. With Susan’s permission, Jodee mines every note she sends for potential messages, and we have already published a number of them. And whenever Susan wants to stretch her creative muscles, she knows right where to turn.
Susan with her Mom
Susan’s favorite is condolence card 93227, “She … was quite a lady.” She explains, “When Jodee’s mother passed away back in 2005, a woman who worked at the little coffee shop where DJ had breakfast each morning somehow tracked Jodee down and sent her a note that read, “She was quite a lady. And I will surely miss her smile.” With that kind woman’s permission, Cardthartic published the first part of the message alone and credited DJ’s fan on the card back.
A few years later, when my own mom Pat passed away, I mailed this card (in bulk!) to friends and colleagues who had supported me. Days later, I received the very same card from my dad’s second wife! She had purchased it having no idea that it was made by my beloved Cardthartic, much less that it was my personal favorite!” Susan concludes, “Receiving it was a sweet reminder that God works in mysterious, wonderful ways.”
Beyond writing several Cardthartic cards of her own, Susan has inspired many over the years. She lives with her husband Kim near Cleveland, and loves to visit Jodee on Miami Beach, as the two will spend hours bobbing in the ocean with their floats tied tete-a-tete so they won’t miss a word. As they talk right through lunch and dinners, grinning wait staffs quickly catch onto their “we’re fine for now” brush-offs. “When we’re together, we want every minute we can to hash through this, that and the other,” Jodee says. “We may not solve the world’s problems but, together, we get a better handle on our own. Lots of laughs, a few shared tears and never enough time for all there is to say to one another.”
The Passages card 93781 (shown above) came to be one night when Jodee says she’d just hung up from an hours-long phone conversation with Susan. “You know how sometimes you end a call practically worn out because you’ve covered so much good ground? At the time, I laughed to myself, ‘I love that, no matter how long we talk, there is so much more to say!’ and found the image for those words a few weeks later.
When Susan saw the card she emailed Jodee, “Wow, I am touched and honored. Jodee, I have been thinking about how you and I worked — and work — at our friendship. We try to learn from each other and help each other grow, never taking offense by how brutally honest the other might be. It is very freeing … a glimpse of heaven, actually.”
Around five years ago, Susan and Kim were vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, where Cardthartic is carried in a number of wonderful shops. Susan being Susan, she wanted to go into every shop and would stop and talk to the staff, sharing that she has a close connection with Cardthartic and that she had written this design and knew the backstory on many others. While this was happening one day, Kim was waiting patiently outside. Finally, there came a point that he just had to tease, “Suzie, I love you even more than you love your old friend and her company, so I have to say that it would sure be nice to feel like I was on vacation with my wife and not Cardthartic’s damn brand ambassador!” 🤣
Fast forward to the summer of 2022, Kim and Susan were invited to five weddings and son Dylan served as a groomsman in five more! More importantly, for the previous year, Susan had been helping her daughter Kathleen plan her wedding (which went off without a hitch June 18, 2022 👏🏼).
Cardthartic’s Creative Team was juuust about to wrap up the summer release when this creative and resourceful mother-of-the-bride called her close card publisher-friend and said, “Jodes, could we make Kathleen & Matthew’s day even more special?!” Having six Cardthartic cards already to her credit, she then helped write the lovely wedding design 94091 dedicated to the happy couple. ❤️
Oh, yes, there will be many more cards due to Susan!
What a wonderful story of time-tested friendship! I first came to you many years ago because of your “Passages” cards. Among the most special to me is: “One of the Good Guys Gone — Never to be forgotten.” Maybe because I was raised by one of the “Good Guys.” I also keep a photo of my cute mother right next to my computer screen for purposes of measured wisdom and peace during a hectic day. So your card that says: “You were her angel – Now she is yours,” just hits all the right notes for why her picture is right beside me and brings me comfort even after many years. Everyone needs an angel and I have mine. The simplest of phrases just sends the most powerful message. It leaves me the “sender” feeling I have done my best and it allows the one who is hurting to hang onto precious words and feel comfort. So you, Cardthartic, are part of my life for all the passages I travel from the joy of births to that sadness of losing someone special and worthy. Grateful to you for finding the words to capture the moment.