March 22, 2022 — Like a kitty ready to pounce, who pops into your mind when you think of those you keep close to your heart? To anyone who has seen this video of the little Ukrainian girl singing her national anthem, it’s pretty clear that she’s holding every single one of her countrymen close to hers.

Close to Cardie Toni Hoepf’s heart is the charmer you see here to the left. “I know you sometimes publish cardie-submitted photos,” Toni emailed us in the spring of ’21, “so I couldn’t resist sending this one of my great-nephew Jude holding his cat Remy. His mom/my niece, Lauren, took it and it’s one of my favorites. Enjoy!”

We loved the pic, too, and it was no work at all to come up with the message to pair with it. The fun part was conspiring with Toni and Lauren on how best to surprise Jude with the printed card! In the end, we sent two dozen to the amiable Bill Kelly, Retail Services Manager at the Store of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, near where Jude lives. Bill was kind to make a big deal of the “Local Artist” card and also make time to welcome photographer Lauren and her card-star son to the store.

“Jude’s reaction to seeing his photo on the card was first confusion,” Lauren described, “like, ‘How did you do that?’ and, after hearing the explanation, he was eager to know if we could buy lots of them and send them to family and friends. He was clearly feeling proud and thrilled,” Lauren said, “but stayed very quiet as he met Bill (who was a delight). After snapping this photo, we shopped the store a bit (museum stores are the absolute best), and Jude tugged on my arm so he could whisper in my ear, ‘Well that was cool,’ with a giant grin on his face.😊”

Having enjoyed Lauren’s part of the story, we circled back to Toni to ask what inspired her to send the image to us. She said, “It was the tenderness that struck me. Jude is my godson and such a sweet-hearted boy, always ready to give a hug. I love how he is holding Remy safe inside his jacket while Remy checks out what’s going on around them. The love between the two of them is obvious. Any of us who have had pets in our lifetime know that special bond with the critter members of our family!”

Lauren filled in, “The kitten was living in my friend’s barn, and Jude was so enamored with it that it’s now living with us! At the farm, Jude held the kitten and was talking to it, trying to get a closer look at its face, eyes, and whiskers, but the kitten was more interested in hopping off his lap. Jude crawled in the grass a bit with the little guy, looking, observing, laughing in that authentic and sweet way kids often do. And in an effort to keep the kitty from running away, he tucked it in his jacket … and there was the photo!

“I love that it captures Jude’s personality so well,” Lauren said. “They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one is simple proof of that. Jude is a ‘lover,’ a gentle and inquisitive soul who is always observing and learning and can easily see the beauty and worth in even small things. He holds many things near to his sweet little heart, so when I read the message you planned to pair with the photo, I had instant tears in my eyes. A perfect and beautiful sentiment that really captures the photo, the moment, and the kid. All Jude wanted to do in that moment was hold that little living, breathing, squirmy, adorable creature close to his heart. 😊

“I almost constantly share photos of Jude and his sister with Aunt Toni,” Lauren said. “She shares my love of photography, the composition sometimes captured, and the memories they keep. Toni is my godmother as well as Jude’s, so we all have a special relationship. I knew she would ‘see’ what I saw in this photo, and she absolutely did.

“Toni has a special way about her,” Lauren described, “the most thoughtful and caring person I know. She really ‘gets’ people and has a high emotional intelligence, which makes her a very understanding and helpful person. When Toni loves you, you feel it big.”

Cardies, may your heart be Aunt Toni-kind. May you feel as thoroughly loved as Lauren, and do as her extraordinary son does, “see the beauty and worth in even small things.” As fortunate as we are to be in this free and relatively peaceful nation, let’s keep holding our good thoughts, praying in our own ways, and doing whatever we can to help ease the suffering of families who want only what we have: the freedom to experience and truly appreciate the goodness in life and each other.

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative