When I arrived home after Dad died, there was a pile of mail sitting on the counter. It took me a few days before I sat down and finally opened the cards one by one. One card, in particular, stood out. It was sent by AnnMarie Mickelson, my friend from Georgia. On the cover, was a picture I had taken of my hand clasping my father’s hand. I had taken the picture shortly before he died and posted it to Facebook with the message, “Thanks for 45 years Dad–I’m going to miss you.”
AnnMarie also included a picture that I had taken from a flight. Here’s the card:
AnnMarie used a service called Send Out Cards to create this customized, personal card. I also received another Send Out Card, this one from Glenda Watson Hyatt, a friend of mine from Canada. Glenda has cerebral palsy, a disability that makes it difficult for her to write. Send Out Cards was an easy way for her to create a customized card. She sent me a card with a picture of a sunset from her recent trip to Hawaii (I love sunsets!).
Intrigued, I wanted to learn more about Send Out Cards, so I opened an account. I found that I really enjoyed creating cards and surprising folks here and there with a little appreciation and gratitude. Losing Dad brought that on, for sure– a whole new appreciation for the people who cross my path on this life journey. Kody Bateman, the founder of Send Out Cards, had a similar revelation when he ignored a gut feeling to share some love with his brother and shortly afterwards, he lost his brother. That’s how Send Out Cards was born. Here’s an excerpt from his story:
Send Out Cards came into existence because of a story, the story of my brother Kris and how I ignored a prompting to say goodbye to him before I moved away. Shortly after moving away, a phone call revealed the tragic news that he had been killed. I hung up the phone after hearing this news and realized that this particular story would change my life. I set out to search for meaning in the story of my brother’s death. In that search, I made some promises to my brother. I promised him that I would act on my promptings from then on and find a way to help others do the same. This became a collected story in my life and it guided my efforts for the next 18 years. Today, Send Out Cards is the result of that collected story.
Take a moment to read my previous post, how taking just a second to tell someone how special they are can last a lifetime in their mind:
A Second That Lasts a Lifetime
I joined AnnMarie at Send Out Cards, and together, we’re sharing Send Out Cards with others. This week, we’re toying around with the Send Out Cards video cards– where you can send videos via a card! Imagine sending a video of a newborn baby to grandparents living in another state. Or a video tour of your brand new house to a friend who lives in another country. Or a special message in American Sign Language to a special someone in your life.
I was never good at sending cards or remembering birthdays until I started using Send Out Cards. Now I finally have all of my contacts in one place and a birthday reminder alert. And a few weeks ago, I received an alert for a friend’s birthday. I was in another state, with no car– but sending a card and a gift took all of a few minutes. I snagged a picture off Facebook, designed a customized card, selected a book and sent the whole thing off with the touch of a few keys.
With Send Out Cards, the possibilities are endless– the connections that result, priceless. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to connect with someone– send them a card today. The first one is on us. If you’d like to join our team (I work from a pontoon on a lake and AnnMarie works from an Anytime Fitness gym!) contact me at karen (at) karenputz (dot) com.
Some of the cards we’ve sent:
