Oct 3, 2023 — As the country seems to grow ever more rancorous, the more important it feels to balance that out with the goodness that surrounds us, so I want to share a few feel-good stories with you here today.
A week ago this evening, I was sitting at my desk on Miami Beach, from my second- floor window watching a miles-wide black cloud move swiftly toward us over the Atlantic. As the wind started really whipping the palm trees around, lightning streaked the sky, and rain began pouring down, I spotted my next-door neighbor friend Liza peddling her bike hard and fast along the beach path toward the shelter of our little building. I’d seen her leave earlier to walk a friend’s dog and, whew, what a ride it must have been home!
Without thinking, I ran down and unlocked the back gate and held it open for her so it would be faster and easier to get in where it was safe and dry, yelling “Dorothy!” the whole time. 😆 An hour later came an email from Liza. “Just wanna say that you coming down and looking out for me was SO wonderful! Thank you. It reinforced my sense of home and belonging and community we have built here at Seaside Terrace. Thank you, Jodee. You are an inspiration for kindness.” While I had simply wanted to help her get in safely, what was a small gesture to me clearly meant a great deal to her. ♥️
Thursday, I was on the phone with Contributing Cardie Mary Morini and, knowing she and her sweetheart husband Larry hold Wednesdays sacred as “date day,” I asked what the two busy retirees had done together the previous day. I heard what sounded like a self-conscious giggle from Mary before she said, “We went out to both lunch and dinner.” Sensing I wasn’t hearing the whole story, I said, “Do tell, what’s so funny?” Hesitating a beat, she finally said, “You’ll think us weird,” and finally went on to admit that they had had a great time twice deciding whose meal among their fellow diners they would cover and then slipping out before the families learned their check had already been paid. ♥️
Saturday night, a few friends in pink gathered at my place to watch and then rehash Barbie. Just as we were being seated for dinner, I noticed 11-year-old Mickey was missing. “She’ll be right back,” her mother Ana assured me while grinning like a Cheshire-cat and, minutes later, in walked Mickey holding a single plumeria the exact color of my sundress.
“For you!” she said, “To thank you for having us!” That kind kid then explained that it had taken her a bit longer than expected to run back to the tree, find that it actually had no branches on which to climb to the lone flower she’d spotted on their way, and then shimmy up to carefully snag it for me. ♥️
Coming one big kind full circle, Liza sent me another email bright and early Sunday morning. “As I was walking the beach just now,” she said, “I came across one of my beloved, wee shorebirds (the tiny, fast kind) unable to walk or fly. I gently picked her/him up and wrapped it in my towel. I have the bird secured in a soft-sided shopping bag, with a towel and some drinking water. We are heading to Pelican Harbor Seabird Station to be there when they open at 9. Wish us luck!” ♥️
Liza was told it will be another day or so before it’s known whether the rescue efforts worked but — in a world where every bit of kindness matters — I’m making a point of slowing down at least long enough to see goodness like this in others, and maybe even more often act on that which I find within myself. Whether we give or get kindness, it feels so good to experience!
At Cardthartic, we feel honored to supply some of the many cards we know you send simply to show you care. The Kindness Matters magnet, too, makes us smile and is a great reminder that kindness does our hearts good. We hope it lifts yours to feel you are part of a big, active community of kindred spirits, because you surely are.
We hope you’ll scroll down and share a recent kindness you’ve either given or received. Let’s fill ourselves up with goodness today!
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
Oct 3, 2023 — As the country seems to grow ever more rancorous, the more important it feels to balance that out with the goodness that surrounds us, so I want to share a few feel-good stories with you here today.
A week ago this evening, I was sitting at my desk on Miami Beach, from my second- floor window watching a miles-wide black cloud move swiftly toward us over the Atlantic. As the wind started really whipping the palm trees around, lightning streaked the sky, and rain began pouring down, I spotted my next-door neighbor friend Liza peddling her bike hard and fast along the beach path toward the shelter of our little building. I’d seen her leave earlier to walk a friend’s dog and, whew, what a ride it must have been home!
Without thinking, I ran down and unlocked the back gate and held it open for her so it would be faster and easier to get in where it was safe and dry, yelling “Dorothy!” the whole time. 😆 An hour later came an email from Liza. “Just wanna say that you coming down and looking out for me was SO wonderful! Thank you. It reinforced my sense of home and belonging and community we have built here at Seaside Terrace. Thank you, Jodee. You are an inspiration for kindness.” While I had simply wanted to help her get in safely, what was a small gesture to me clearly meant a great deal to her. ♥️
Thursday, I was on the phone with Contributing Cardie Mary Morini and, knowing she and her sweetheart husband Larry hold Wednesdays sacred as “date day,” I asked what the two busy retirees had done together the previous day. I heard what sounded like a self-conscious giggle from Mary before she said, “We went out to both lunch and dinner.” Sensing I wasn’t hearing the whole story, I said, “Do tell, what’s so funny?” Hesitating a beat, she finally said, “You’ll think us weird,” and finally went on to admit that they had had a great time twice deciding whose meal among their fellow diners they would cover and then slipping out before the families learned their check had already been paid. ♥️
Saturday night, a few friends in pink gathered at my place to watch and then rehash Barbie. Just as we were being seated for dinner, I noticed 11-year-old Mickey was missing. “She’ll be right back,” her mother Ana assured me while grinning like a Cheshire-cat and, minutes later, in walked Mickey holding a single plumeria the exact color of my sundress.
“For you!” she said, “To thank you for having us!” That kind kid then explained that it had taken her a bit longer than expected to run back to the tree, find that it actually had no branches on which to climb to the lone flower she’d spotted on their way, and then shimmy up to carefully snag it for me. ♥️
Coming one big kind full circle, Liza sent me another email bright and early Sunday morning. “As I was walking the beach just now,” she said, “I came across one of my beloved, wee shorebirds (the tiny, fast kind) unable to walk or fly. I gently picked her/him up and wrapped it in my towel. I have the bird secured in a soft-sided shopping bag, with a towel and some drinking water. We are heading to Pelican Harbor Seabird Station to be there when they open at 9. Wish us luck!” ♥️
Liza was told it will be another day or so before it’s known whether the rescue efforts worked but — in a world where every bit of kindness matters — I’m making a point of slowing down at least long enough to see goodness like this in others, and maybe even more often act on that which I find within myself. Whether we give or get kindness, it feels so good to experience!
At Cardthartic, we feel honored to supply some of the many cards we know you send simply to show you care. The Kindness Matters magnet, too, makes us smile and is a great reminder that kindness does our hearts good. We hope it lifts yours to feel you are part of a big, active community of kindred spirits, because you surely are.
We hope you’ll scroll down and share a recent kindness you’ve either given or received. Let’s fill ourselves up with goodness today!
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
Here is an update on Sanderling! Every drop of kindness makes a great difference! Keep Sanderling in your thoughts!
Hi Liza,
Thank you so much for contacting us to inquire about the status of the Sanderling (they do resemble Sandpipers!) you brought in, Patient #1730.
Currently, it is in our ICU receiving supportive care for its injuries. This is a critical time for the patient. If you’d like another update, reply to this same email thread in about a week and a member of our team will follow up.
We are so grateful for you being a caring steward of South Florida Wildlife and rescuing an animal in need. Your efforts are a crucial part of our mission in helping rescue, rehabilitate, and release our native wildlife.
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates solely on donations. We treat over 2,000 animals representing more than a hundred species every year.
Thank you Liza.
As it was so beautifully said ‘every bit of kindness matters’.
Thank you for helping the injured sanderling bird.
As you know, for the 16 years that I lived near you every Wednesday I volunteered at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station (www.pelicanharbor.org).
I witnessed first-hand how the staff and fellow volunteers do everything in their power to help wildlife with their injuries and return them to their life in the wild.
Even if one of their patients do not make it there is comfort in knowing they were well cared for and loved.
It is always so worth the effort to get them to this helpful organization.
THANK YOU for caring as you always do.
You are the best.
We lost my dad two weeks ago at the age of 99. A week prior to his passing, I had knee surgery. I live two hours from my parents. Numerous people offered to drive me to be with family. I was able to drive myself but was deeply touched that friends who had never met my dad so kindly offered their time to get me where I needed to be. So lucky to have those kind people in my corner!
Dear Jodee –
Thank you for sharing your kindness experiences. Reading them reminded me to be aware of others and their needs and what we can do to make another person’s life better, even if it’s just a smile. I love sending your cards. I can always find one that says just what I want it to.
The Cardthartic newsletter is one of my favorite “kindness” treats. Long ago I realized that “what I pay attention to, is what I get.” In other words, when I affirm blessings in my life, more blessings flow in. Jodie’s newsletter is one of those blessings. It is an email I look forward to and I read. (Not true of many, many other emails.). A thought I like to project into the cosmos is “let goodness prevail.” Now I’ll add “may kindness flourish.”
Another email I experience as a joy and a blessing, is from the Illinois State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs. I get many political newsletters (which I can tell by their lead-in I don’t want to read) and his I find uplifting. Very human and excellent communication about the role of his office.
I’m so glad my husband happened to find a Cardthartic card and our connection to Cardthartic grew from there.