Oct 27, 2023 — Imagine living in a beautiful state that is 90% forested, where the gorgeous white pine — the state tree — can keep growing for more than 200 years.
Now imagine you’re one of the Maine families who will not be growing old together or even ever walking those woods again.
Cardies, at the same time that our hearts are going out to all those fearful and devastated in Maine, let’s be sure to treasure every minute with our own loved ones this weekend. As Mary Oliver challenged us, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I can guess what Contributing Cardie Gloria Dougherty will be doing. After the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas five years ago, she emailed us to say, “I am a long-time fan, and I buy Cardthartic wherever I can. But your Cardie Newsletter today has left me feeling hollow.
“While I applaud your helping parents/grandparents offer words of comfort and solace to their children,” Gloria wrote, “I wish you had also encouraged each to speak up, to call on Congress and local legislators to stop this madness. And, once the parents/grandparents have spoken up, they could share with the children, ‘This is what I did to try to stop this.’
“We all need to speak out,” she said, and signed off with, “FYI, Sirhan Sirhan was a neighbor, walking by my front door on his way to kill Robert Kennedy. That was in 1968; I’ve been at this a long time.”
While we could have responded with the non-response, “Thanks for your input” and just gone about our business of making kind and caring cards, Gloria helped us see that we all have a part in this and none of us can look away. Then she helped create our Please Listen postcards, which we followed a year later with Act Now postcards, that thousands of Cardies have sent to their lawmakers nationwide.
Cardthartic has shipped a dozen each of a dozen condolence and grief support cards to the Woman’s Hospital Association Gift Shop, our Retail Partner within Central Maine Medical Center in Lewistown. When it’s safe for the hospital to reopen, they’ll be able to give the cards free to every compassionate person who will send one.
I think we need to end this story where it began: Enjoy the little things, for one day we may look back and realize they were the big things.
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
Oct 27, 2023 — Imagine living in a beautiful state that is 90% forested, where the gorgeous white pine — the state tree — can keep growing for more than 200 years.
Now imagine you’re one of the Maine families who will not be growing old together or even ever walking those woods again.
Cardies, at the same time that our hearts are going out to all those fearful and devastated in Maine, let’s be sure to treasure every minute with our own loved ones this weekend. As Mary Oliver challenged us, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I can guess what Contributing Cardie Gloria Dougherty will be doing. After the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas five years ago, she emailed us to say, “I am a long-time fan, and I buy Cardthartic wherever I can. But your Cardie Newsletter today has left me feeling hollow.
“While I applaud your helping parents/grandparents offer words of comfort and solace to their children,” Gloria wrote, “I wish you had also encouraged each to speak up, to call on Congress and local legislators to stop this madness. And, once the parents/grandparents have spoken up, they could share with the children, ‘This is what I did to try to stop this.’
“We all need to speak out,” she said, and signed off with, “FYI, Sirhan Sirhan was a neighbor, walking by my front door on his way to kill Robert Kennedy. That was in 1968; I’ve been at this a long time.”
While we could have responded with the non-response, “Thanks for your input” and just gone about our business of making kind and caring cards, Gloria helped us see that we all have a part in this and none of us can look away. Then she helped create our Please Listen postcards, which we followed a year later with Act Now postcards, that thousands of Cardies have sent to their lawmakers nationwide.
Cardthartic has shipped a dozen each of a dozen condolence and grief support cards to the Woman’s Hospital Association Gift Shop, our Retail Partner within Central Maine Medical Center in Lewistown. When it’s safe for the hospital to reopen, they’ll be able to give the cards free to every compassionate person who will send one.
I think we need to end this story where it began: Enjoy the little things, for one day we may look back and realize they were the big things.
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
Thank you for your kindness to the people of Maine.
Thank you for thinking of the people in Maine who are reeling from yet another gun tragedy !! I don’t know what it’s going to take for the laws to change. Let us all keep hoping and praying for a solution to this madness. Your cards are such a lift in this sad world we’re in. THANK YOU.
I hope your loving kindness, compassion and strong ethical compass are as appreciated by any who reads your words as they are by me. You are a truly awesome human with a beautiful company! Much love & respect, Cardie Teresa Werth
We are all so sad about what happened in Maine, it is wonderful to read about your kindness. I love your cards and will support your wonderful company.
Jodes- Beautifuuly expressed, as always.
One has to think, “What is the MATTER with us?”… that protecting our children, our sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, and really, ALL life, to include police officers, should be ignored by so many, when the solutions have been so simple, for so long. We are numb with these preventable tragedies every single day. I heard today that more lives have been taken by these mass shooting events than by our last several wars. Thank you and your staff and compassionate ideals and company for being a shining star in our darkness.
Thank you for your newsletter talking about the incident in Maine. And thank you for your cards and the postcards discussed.
It’s unbelievable to me that we are still dealing with these tragedies. My heart goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones & are grieving right now. It has to bring up sad memories from all the other shootings in our country. I appreciate the postcards Cardthartic offers & have ordered & sent many. Thank you Jodee & staff.
Let’s make life simple.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Lets’s just bring back the assault weapons ban.
At least it would give potential victims a chance at surviving.
“The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, popularly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), was a subsection of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a United States federal law which included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms that were defined as assault weapons as well as certain ammunition magazines that were defined as large capacity.”
Thank you for your compassion and kindness to the
People of Lewiston. Maine is my sale’s territory for Cardthartic .
And this horrible act of violence does not occur in Central
Maine. Thank you for sending the cards to the Lewiston hospital.
Perspective indeed. If Cardies did not feel safe enough to share their thoughts, we would miss so much in the conversation.
Thank you for doing the right thing–listening and thoughtfully finding a way to reach out to those struggling their way through a horrific, life-changing event. Cardthartic does not ignore the hard moments in life.
I no longer say “but that could never happen here”. I admit that I feel more than a smidge of guilt when others in the world are affected by natural disasters, war, disease, gun violence, etc., etc. That guilt reminds me of my many blessings and spurs me to help in small ways, whoever and wherever I can.
Years ago, I heard on the news that the school-shooters had studied Columbine, hoping for a lot of news coverage for themselves. That started me thinking about the effect news coverage was probably having on vulnerable minds.
Later, within the last few years, there was another shooting with a positive side-story. Significant shooting was averted because of an individuals alertness and action. The bulk of the news coverage was on the horror of the shooting; the good part of the story, received about 30 seconds or less. I said to my husband, “isn’t that totally skewed?” He said it was.
I don’t remember where it came from, but somewhere I heard, “what you pay attention to is what you get.” Maybe news coverage is contributing to the proliferation of tragedies. That’s how it seems to me.
I no longer watch the news. Surprisingly, I still know what’s going on. I am spared, though, all the graphic details. I do watch about 5 minutes of news each week, On the Road, with Steve Hartman, is my program. He does ‘good news’ right.
Jodee’s newsletter does as well. As natural as her writing seems, I know that finding the right words is often challenging. I appreciate her ‘right’ words and her creation of a place for Cardies to express themselves. With much appreciation, Jodee, thank you.