Connecting

Sept. 25, 2020 — As we wind down and wish you a restorative weekend, we thought we’d share this new card that inside reads, “Greetings from our wheelhouse to yours.” And below we share greetings received from four Cardie wheelhouses around the country. Each in your own way, all you Cardies are so darn charming!

More and more we see you rise to the emotional challenges of covid … collectively, you’ve been sending more than twice the number of cards you did a year ago. Imagine what that must mean to those who open their mailboxes and smile at the sight of their name in your handwriting. :)

It’s your same generosity of spirit that’s enabled us to make donations in your name … your online order income has been split with local card and gift shops that carry Cardthartic; you’ve given to American Red Cross, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Kindness Grows Here, and — with the purchase of RBG cards through Sept 28 — the National Women’s Law Center. What good you’ve made happen! Here’s what a few of your Cardie counterparts say cardsending means to them …

“I have just looked at your eight new designs,” wrote Dot Coltrane from Alabama last week, “and especially love the hamster running on his little wheel! Many of us can identify after five months of sheltering in place, wearing masks that absolutely are NOT designed for people who wear glasses and hearing aids, and fulfilling the urge to cook enough for at least two lifetimes.

“The ‘good’ side of a pandemic, for me at least, is the opportunity to revive the joy of real mail. Cardie that I am, this strange time has taken me, with a handful of cards, past the drive-by mailboxes at the Post Office nearly every day. Cardthartic finds an order from me about every two or three weeks and gets the cards to our mailbox with speed that is astonishing. (Perhaps you should apply for a position monitoring the November election!)

“I hope we will soon have the freedom to travel and catch up with friends and family with no more social distancing or virtual hugs,” Dot continued, “and I will continue sending lots of cards to people all over. Thank you for always offering such perfect messages to carry our feelings where they are needed most.”

Barb Penny in Michigan wrote, “Since the pandemic began, I have sent a card each week to some of my friends, just to keep their spirits up. This is a group of high school classmates that formed around the time of our 50th class reunion in 2014. We discovered that we have similar social and political beliefs and decided to gather for brunch once a month. My primary source of cards is Cardthartic, which is why I order so many. My friends who receive them are delighted. I mail my cards on Friday so they arrive on or about Monday, so my friends’ week begins on a cheerful note. In fact, one of them has told me that she now actually looks forward to Monday! Thank you for helping me to cheer up my friends!”

From Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Anne Scott-Putney shared, “Cardthartic cards have become my saving grace, my tool for when I reach out, connect, go the extra mile, tell people I love them and what I think is wonderful about them. I am now sending a card a day, just because. I think of someone — friends, family, someone who I know might be alone — and then find the right card for them. It’s as if the waves of writing, of connecting, are flowing through me into your cards. Cardthartic has never been so important to me as now.”

From an hour south of Anne, Candace Sklarz shared, “As a health care worker, I just want to share that your cards are getting me through this crisis. I spend every Saturday morn sending your special cards to friends and family. The joy that they bring is beyond measure. It brings me solace and peace to share. Heartfelt thanks. Stay safe.”

If you’ll be finding time to sit and send cards this weekend, please take a moment to give yourself credit for doing far more than signing, sealing and stamping … you’re spreading the love not the virus! Thank you. Now who wants ice cream?!?

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative