“Dad, I never get any mail with windows. You always get the ones with the windows, it’s not fair.” Little me complained bringing in the mail, as children do, racing out to get it as the postman wheeled up on his bike and later trudging down the long sandy driveway to the green pail on a stick where the postman would dump letters and parcels, and collect ours to take 40km back into town for posting. It was usually only at birthdays when we get an actual greeting card, maybe with a ten dollar note tucked in?
“You don’t want window mail,” Dad laughed. “They always want your money, you only get window mail for bills, you want mail that has hand writing on it.”
“Oh”.
And in today’s day and age, it’s a beautiful thing to see handwritten mail, and I make sure to send a quarterly hand written newsy letter to my grandparents, who are old, no facebook and I can’t think of a thing to say on the phone.
And cards. I send greeting cards, and I make cards, but my little secret is that I buy card making magazines, cut out the pictures and stick them on cards, and that still counts doesn’t it? The thought that is.
I love getting greeting cards too, and I remember admiring a whole bunch of cards propped open neatly on the nurse’s counter at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, and how they told me they liked the home made ones best and I silently disagreed because the bought ones were shinier. I like the home made ones best now too, but it’s not just the card, it’s what’s in it that counts, because it can be gorgeous and only have one line, and I’ll stick a coloured patch over it and recycle it to send again to another.
And it doesn’t matter whether it’s Christmas or a birthday or something in between because you have the power in your words to brighten a day and cheer someone on.
A greeting card is really about greeting someone, after all. Something that when we do in real life we often say, “Hi, how are you?” and we usually respond, “good thanks” whether we are or not. So let’s take it a little deeper.
It needs to have a message, something deep, but I’ve been guilty of one liners too. Now I have 3 fall backs so my card is interesting.
- Include a quote. I know card making magazines often have a ton of quotes in them but I prefer something a little deeper. One of my favourites to include in a card is,
Wisdom could be called the intimate embrace of truth – by Lisa Bevere
Or deep thoughts by Graham Cooke or a line from a song.
God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed, give me vision to see things like you do – Jenn Johnson and Ian McIntosh (God I Look to You, Bethel Music)
Let my walk speak loud and my words be true, let my life be whole with my eyes on You – Jonas Myrin, Natasha (Centre of My Life, Hillsong London)
2. A scripture of course, but maybe written on a cute piece of cardboard. There are tons of gorgeous Scriptures on Pinterest, so if you have a good printer, print out a variety of little quotes and Scriptures to cut out and glue into cards.
3. Turn your card, into a message, pray for the person receiving it and ask God to give you some of His thoughts for them, or write a prayer for them. Alternatively, share with them something God has shown you!
It can be so encouraging to go and look back through all my greeting cards, and sometimes the message in there can be just what you need to get through a challenging day.
( Today I’m linking up at 5 Minute Friday, where our prompt was MAIL. )
This is so cute and such a good idea! Thanks for sharing, your #FMF neighbor #16.
I have so many special cards saved and often times looking back at an old card can be such an encouragement on a hard day.
Love your tips, Lizzy! The photo of your card is gorgeous, and I love the thought of praying for the person receiving the card you are sending. Something I’d love to do the next time I send someone a letter!
Lizzy, I love that “window” cards! Boy, your dad was right on about that!
I like to make cards and send them too. I’ve been working on Halloween cards this afternoon. I’ve ink all over my fingers!
I’m new at FMF and #35 on the list this week.
Hope you have a ton of fun with our Five Minute Friday crowd, and I’m sure your cards will look great!
I love this!
Writing in greeting cards is agonizing to me so this will truly help me!
I’m so grateful you stopped by my blog and left a kind comment! Thank you!
I’m glad to hear it will help someone, sometimes we just don’t know the little ideas we take for granted can be really helpful to others.
I love that you make it a point to send cards. I use to do this but got away from the as life got busy. People were always really appreciative though, and a perfect quote or scripture can go a long way. Maybe I will get back into this habit. Thanks for the inspiration.
Yeh, sometimes it’s so hard to think of what to say in a card, I still find it challenging, but I’m also trying to give myself more time to do it instead of trying to write the card the day it needs to be sent or giving myself the grace that it’s better to get a card at all than not get one just because it’s not on time.
I love your ideas here Lizzy and would you believe we read the above just AFTER we wrote on our sons 20th birthday card! But I cheated & used my husband for extra inspiration. He has a way of capturing our hearts with words … It’s a gift … but I’m gonna be on the lookout for more great quotes. Love that idea!
✨Life is an adventure ✨
I love your ideas here Lizzy and would you believe we read the above just AFTER we wrote on our sons 20th birthday card! But I cheated & used my husband for extra inspiration. He has a way of capturing our hearts with words … It’s a gift … but I’m gonna be on the lookout for more great quotes. Love that idea!
✨Life is an adventure ✨
Hi Lizzy! Glad to meet up with you through CBB. I love your ideas for making a card more personal. I love sending or writing out cards. I used to do lots of card-making, but that was before I started writing! But I love your ideas and hadn’t thought of including a quote.
Sometimes there seems to be seasons for these things, though my toddler loves ‘helping’ me to make cards so we do that a bit too.
Thank you, Lizzy!
I don’t always think about sending cards or letters to people, but I LOVE getting them! I try to put something special in them. I’ll look for something specific to the situation or I go to my list of fav quotes it’s words that I save in my phone or Pinterest.
My Miss 4 lives for parties and birthdays so she’s always making someone a card and that keeps me going!