Lessons Learned by a Reformed Note-Card-Writer Slacker

by Jennifer Haynie @JenniferHaynie1

Sadness gripped my heart that hot, August day in 2015. My cousin, one of my mentors and unofficial matchmaker for my husband and me, had just passed away from breast cancer. I was devastated, and I felt very, very alone that day as I walked into work. There, sitting on the keyboard, sat an envelope with my name on it.

I don’t remember exactly what it said, but I do remember that gesture. My coworker had taken the time to write a card to me to convey her sympathies.

I know. I know. There’s the excuse that “I’m too busy to write a note.” Or, “An e-mail conveys my feelings just as well.” I get that.

Why?

Because I used to think the same thing.

Lately, I’ve changed my thinking—big time.

That got me to wondering why we have such an issue with handwritten notes in these high-tech times. Then it hit me.

First, card stores that have a plethora of cards are now few and far between. I count one—yes, one—for my town of 150,000-plus. Sure, big box stores like Target and Wal-Mart have cards, but if you’ve got to get a bunch of birthday or sympathy cards in a row, you start picking the same ones due to limited selection.

Second, when I go to pick up a card, sometimes I don’t find one in the limited selection I do have that doesn’t sound trite or downright inappropriate.

I felt Holy Spirit sticking me.

I knew I could do better. I needed an all-occasion card that I could pull out at any moment, and I didn’t want to pay through four or five dollars to get it. That’s when I came up with an idea.

I went to one of those marketing product websites that has notecards and everything else related to marketing. Then, I designed my own cards using photos of our pups. Five days later, a hundred cards at far below retail price per capita arrived on my doorstep.

It’s easy to think, “Well, I don’t know what to write!”

Keep it simple. Fewer words are better.

It’s the gesture that counts.

Keep it to three sentences. That’s enough to convey your message.

Believe me, it’ll be appreciated. That’s what I did. Three sentences equate to less than five minutes per card.

And now?

You can’t stop me. I’ve got several friends who lost husbands suddenly. They’ve been getting notes almost weekly.

I’ve got friends who have hit major rough patches. They get an encouragement card.

And colleagues from work who have been so helpful in a project I’m working on by giving freely of their limited time. They get thank-you cards.

And birthdays? They come from the same stock.

The cool thing is sometimes, I’ve gotten thanked for actually sending a handwritten card. People especially remember those since they’re now so few and far between.

A few other people remembered me as I mourned my cousin. One of them happened to be a friend who lost her husband almost six months ago. I got to return the favor by writing to her, even if we see each other at church frequently. Try it out. Buy a set of note cards in bulk, and start writing.

Promise you’ll get a charge out of it.

In this world of high tech, a handwritten note can mean the world to someone. #authenticity #encouragement Share on X

Question: When was a time when you received a handwritten note that meant the world to you?

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