Oh sure, the easy ones come to mind -- our children,

our parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. These are a few of the people that come immediately to mind when thinking about sending greeting cards.

But really... there are a whole lot more 'Who's' out in Whoville than you've previously imagined! Who all might appreciate and delight in discovering a greeting card in among the daily bills and circulars sitting in their mailbox. An unexpected card for no particular reason is often the most meaningful of all!

Acknowledge the people who inspire you whether or not you personally know them

• Neighbors


• Co-workers


• Friend's children


• Children's friends


• Your church organist


• Your favorite store clerk


• Business Partners


• Teachers


• Local Store Managers


• Your Florist


• Former neighbors


• Reconnect with Classmates


• Your Favorite Librarian


• Online Friends


• Authors


• Community Leaders


• Employees


• Employers


• Volunteers


• ...your network is large...start noticing!

"He who praises another enriches himself far more than he does the one praised. To praise is an investment in happiness" ~~David Dunn (Try Giving Yourself Away)

Why not consider challenging yourself to send one card a day for the next 365 days? I know you'll be amazed at the expansion of spirit you will experience!

Selecting a greeting card and writing a note switches our attention to the other person. It helps us appreciate and celebrate the impact the recipient has in our life.

Whether to nurture personal or business relationships, I think one of the reasons people don't make the time is because they don't know what to say.

Don't assume that people already receive a lot of praise and positive reinforcement and acknowledgement. Most people mean well but tend to forget to pass along those words of praise. Remember how good you feel when your contributions are noticed and appreciated. Let that be your focus and reminder to take the time to authentically celebrate and acknowledge others for the inspiration, role model, or contribution that they provide for you.

Spending time to search for a card that will speak to the recipient is valuable. It requires you to give some thought to the other person and what 'speaks' to them... while triggering the words from you that acknowledge that very thing.

Some ways to begin your notes:

• Thank you for...


• I appreciated...


• It was great to...


• Your support yesterday...


• I enjoyed reading about you (your company) in...


• Congratulations on your recent...


• One of my favorite things about you is...

Judy H. Wright, offers 'Words of Encouragement' that lend themselves well as a note in a card sent to a child. (Imagine your own child's eyes lighting up when they receive an unexpected note in the mailbox!)

• I like the way you handled that
• Wow, you really thought out the solution to that problem
• I have faith in your ability
• I appreciate what you did
• I know you will figure out a good way to do it next time
• I trust you to be responsible
• It must make you proud of yourself when you accomplish something like that
• You are a valuable part of the family (team, classroom)
• It is okay to make a mistake, we all do

Complete your note by giving thought and putting words to what you feel about who they are, what they do/did and what makes that valuable or important to you. Let people know!

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
~~Maya Angelou

For some GREAT ideas for verses on cards head on over to Greeting Card Poems Verses Quotes for Cards and Scrapbooking They cover an amazing range of circumstances! Have FUN!

For more Tips on crafting the perfect note, visit RealSimple.com/Writing

Dear Gramma,

You are rely nice to sen me the red truk. It goes fast and krashes rely wham. I love you Gramma. You sure no yur truks.

[A proud grandmother saved this note and passed it along to Letitia Baldrige, who included it in her Complete Guide to the New Manners for the '90s.]

Words to describe things and events

appropriate - attractive - beautiful - charming - decorative - delightful - elegant - entertaining - exquisite - fascinating - favorite - glamorous - handsome - ideal - impressive - lovely - magnificent - memorable - much-needed - one-of-a-kind - pretty - remarkable - satisfying -superb - terrific - treasure - treat - unique - useful - valuable - versatile - wonderful

Words to describe feelings

admire - affection - appreciate - cautious - confused - delighted - enchanted - enjoyed - exhausted - flattered - grateful - happy - hopeful - impressed - indebted - lonely - love - mischievous - moved - overjoyed - overwhelmed - pleased - stunned - surprised - thrilled - touched

Words to describe people

brilliant - charismatic - clever - creative - dear - fun - generous - gracious - hospitable - kind - magical - persistent - silly - talented - tender - thoughtful

Phrases to say Thank You

thank you so much - thank you for remembering - many thanks - both/all send our thanks - deeply/truly/really appreciate - can't thank you enough - thanks a million - am/are so grateful - special thanks to - particularly grateful because

Phrases to express gratitude for hospitality

a great pleasure to spend time - delicious/luscious food - delightful evening - enjoyed myself enormously - great/stimulating conversations - nice break - rare treat - still talking about - such fun - thoroughly enjoyed - will always remember

Phrases to express gratitude for condolences

I/we appreciate your...
compassion
condolences
kind words/remarks
love and support
standing by me
taking the time
thoughtful expression of sympathy

helped me get through
know how much you care
more important than you may know

Phrases for gifts

converstaion piece - delighted to receive - distinctive accessory - enjoy using - excellent idea - fun to use - just what I need - perfect for... - place of honor - plan to use it for - terrific idea - welcome addition to - will always treasure - will think of you

from The Art of Thank You by Connie Leas

Who knew there was such a variety of mail boxes?!?

The Bear Lover -

The Flower Lover

What is this creature...porpoise? dolphin? seal?

Seaside Resort Boxes

The Train Lover

For the Halloween Fans

Got extra bricks?

Let's not forget Christmas

Concord, July 29, 1872

Dear Sir-- I desire to express to you, and through you to the engineers and members of the Fire Department of this town, the sincere thanks of myself and each one of my family for the able, hearty and in great measure successful exertion in our behalf in resisting and extinguishing the fire which threatened to destroy my house on Wednesday morning last. We owe it to your efficient labor and skill that so large a part of the building was saved, and let me say that we owe it to your families and a great number of generous volunteers that almost all the furniture, clothing, and especially the books and papers contained in the house were saved and removed with tender care. I hope to have the opportunity of thanking, sooner or later, every one of our benefactors in person.

Yours most gratefully,
R.W. Emerson

[In 1872, Ralph Waldo Emerson's home caught fire. This letter, which was addressed to J. C. Sanborn, chief-engineer of the Concord Fire Department, was published in the Concord newspaper.]

NOW!!

One of the really FUN things about sending people cards is that really...any excuse will do!

We don't really need 'excuses'. We all receive promptings in the course of our day... promptings to connect with someone. Too often we brush off or put off taking action on the prompting and we miss what may be the last time to reach out and share a HUG with someone in our life who flitted through our mind.

I live a few short miles from the I35W bridge that collapsed in Minnesota on Wednesday, August 1, 2007. It was a well worn path for so many in my life, including me. Lives were changed in the blink of an eye! An event like this heightens awareness of the reality that all we have is NOW! And I am more clear than ever that taking the time to share my feelings with others feeds not only my soul... hopefully theirs, too.

So let's not wait for calamity to surface...
Let's explore what might inspire us to send out a card --

28 April 1900

Dear Sir,
I wish to thank you for your kindness in writing to me. I am a young Irishman, eighteen year old, and the words of Ibsen I shall keep in my heart all my life.

Faithfully yours,
Jas A. Joyce

[This is author James Joyce's expression of gratitude to playwright Henrik Ibsen (via Ibsen's translator) for Ibsen's complimentary words about a piece Joyce had written.]

You know...the usual ones like a Birthday   an Anniversary, sympathy,
a wedding announcement .

And naturally we think to send cards at Christmas  and Valentine's Day .

It's also common for people to express their Thanks  with a card and we receive Invitations frequently  (if we're lucky and taking care of our relationships! ;-))

However... have you considered...

The simplest thing to remember is that there is HUGE value in a simple love note - like this card that says, "I just CARD to say I LOVE YOU!" That's really what personal notes on greeting cards are about.

Let's go over some categories you might find when it comes to finding a card that carries your message with brilliance:

EXPRESSIONS
Apologies, Congratulations, Get Well, Goodby/Good Luck, Love, Nice to Meet You, Sympathy, Thank You, Welcome

HOLIDAYS & OCCASIONS
Anniversary, Birthday, Engagement, Holidays, Wedding

KEEPING IN TOUCH
Announcements, Friendship, Invitations, Just Because, Motivational, Thinking of You

SPECIAL INTEREST
Business, Humanitarian, Kids, Military, Music and Dance, Pets, Religious, Workplace

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Around the World, Calendar Cards, Formal/Executive, Patriotic, Seasonal, Series, Sports and of course those wonderful, open Blank cards to create on.

Are you starting to get the idea? Expanding on any of these areas leads to a virtually infinite number of reasons to celebrate someone and/or something, with a card.

Consider holidays... don't neglect the lesser known ones. And I'm not simply suggesting a Halloween card , though that's bound to surprise and delight someone...

I'm suggesting you consider sending your favorite Math aficionado a card celebrating Pi day on March 14th

Or celebrating the longer days of light with those friends suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder)

To boost your juices about sending cards here are some other things that you may not have thought of when it comes to sending someone a card...

How about sharing your first-graders first school worksheet with the grandparents? Scan it and put it right on the front of a greeting card. Acknowledge the child AND the grandparents!

Why not pen your thoughts about the broader issues that you are passionate about whether it's world peace or
AIDS awareness use your 'voice' creatively

Why would you hesitate to share your friends enthusiasm over a new pet?

So whether you are feeling sorry or overflowing with appreciation for your country or perhaps
the dancer in your life a card can TOUCH people in ways that can light up the world so share what you feel!!!

Sending Heartfelt Unexpected Greeting cards (H.U.G.'s) is for Me a Passion, purpose and pleasure.

I send at least one unexpected card a day... which means that doesn't included those 'expected' birthday, wedding, anniversary,etc. cards...naturally they get sent too, but there truly is nothing that has added to my own heart like the flood of appreciation for individual people that I have experienced since beginning this discipline of selecting someone different each day and celebrating them with love on a card that shows up in their mailbox,cleverly hiding among the bills and circulars, a few days later -- all for no other reason but that THEY ARE SO MAGNIFICENT!

I do have to admit I wasn't always quite so on top of sending cards -- There were a few places that tripped me up along the way.

I love to read... and a card shop is like candy for me...little snippets of words, some funny, some poignant, some sexy, some endearing...I can get lost for hours...and too often I wander in right before closing time... whoops!

Then there is the losing it on the counter or table at home...forgetting to fill it out.

Or filling it out and putting it in the envelope but setting it aside until I could track down the recipients address...

Or having it addressed only to discover I am out of stamps...

Or writing it, stuffing it, stamping it and still... like the handful of unmailed 'Thank You' cards I found in a drawer two years after the event...they never make it to a mailbox. ;-(

One day, almost two years ago, a friend invited me to take a look at this nifty online site that allowed you to do all of the above ONLINE! That's right! The card is selected from thousands of cards, right online, you write your note...even in your own handwriting if you choose, and they stuff it, stamp it and mail it out for you... it's a 5x7 greeting card that is less expensive than what I was picking up at the local card shop or grocery store!!!

So I tried it out and discovered that for a few extra cents I could upload a picture from my computer to place on the card. Well... I figured it might be a nifty way to announce new products to my customers. Rather than the email thing that everyone was doing I would stand out from the crowd and get into a little direct mail relationshipping -- and I started seeing great results!!! How cool!

What I soon discovered was I was having a blast with this nifty setup and couldn't resist sending out cards to everyone I could think of, just to say 'Hi, I love you'... before you know it I was reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances and they wanted to use it too!

That is when it landed on me that thing was not only great fun,
easy to use and encouraged connection (all things I value and
adore ;-))...but I recalled my friend telling me that if I wanted to share it that I could earn some cash doing so -- Well she wasn't kidding.

So THAT is how I became a Professional Greeting Card Sender ;-) --I started making money doing something that I found was so worthwhile I was not only willing to but WAS paying for anyway!!! LOL

Why not go over and send someone YOU love a H.U.G. - on me -- www.CardsTouch.com
and feel free to send me a message or give me a call if you need assistance... I'm more than happy to help - no strings attached...really!

Hey... can I send YOU a card?!? You ARE loved!!!

--Mary K

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EXPECT MIRACLES!