Month: February 2008

Personal Birthday Cards Kept as Treasures in Grandma’s Scrapbooks

My vivacious grandmother, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday last November, kept a busy social calendar. In the Roaring Twenties-era storage trunks that she secured with worn brown leather belts – buckle and all – I recently came across a set of her beloved scrapbooks, which she had begun in high school and continued to fill throughout her life. What struck me was that in each book, amid the newspaper clippings, letters, and photographs that meant so much to her, she had dedicated several pages to personal birthday cards that had been given to her and that she especially treasured.

As attractive as these assorted birthday cards were, I knew this wasn’t why she had held onto the greeting cards. She was touched by how the birthday cards were personalized. All of the birthday cards were inscribed with a loving, handwritten message from one of her friends or family members. “A friend no finer could I find; while I’m no poet, I hope you love me enough not to mind…” reads one in flowing script. Another, from her father, expresses how proud he is of the “strong and resolute young lady” she has become. I found a few poignant business birthday cards from coworkers, one of whom wished her “a birthday as gorgeous and inspiring as you are,” this in the midst of Grandma Tjo’s grueling cancer treatments.

For most of these greeting cards, it likely took the senders only a minute or two to write good wishes to my grandmother. I wish they all knew what that meant to her.

Get Well Cards: Nice to Receive, Even if you’re Not Sick!

I enjoy working for a company that makes business get well cards and other types of greeting cards, but there comes a time when every person needs a break from her job. Finally, a vacation! After a year of not going anywhere except occasionally to upstate New York, I decided it was time that I kick up my heels on a sandy, warm beach in the Caribbean and forget about my work in the world of corporate greeting cards for a week. I decided it best to go at the end of winter, my least favorite season, to rejuvenate myself and try to regain that healthy glow I once had months prior. April seemed like the perfect time. Everything was planned, my vacation days were approved, and I was ready to go! But in the hullabaloo of preparation and excitement, I forgot to tell one person that I would be out of the office…an outside business vendor.

It didn’t even cross my mind that I had forgotten to mention my vacation to Holly, my off-site vendor whom I speak to almost daily on the phone, until I came home. I was rested, tanned and relaxed, trying to catch up on “real life” by going through my mail at home. I came across a few envelopes for greeting cards, which I assumed were for my upcoming birthday. We often exchange business birthday cards with our vendors so I thought the envelope with the Kansas return address contained a birthday card from Holly. Instead, when I opened the envelope I found a beautiful get well card. “A get well card? Who is sick?” I wondered to myself. I opened up the greeting card and found it was addressed to me! Normally, I’d be touched to receive get well cards from colleagues or vendors but since I wasn’t ill, I was a bit confused. The message inside the greeting card read:

Dear Janine,

I have not received any calls from you in a week, and figured you were out of the office. At first I thought you were on vacation, but knew you would’ve told me, and assumed that you were sick. I hope you feel better and are back at the office soon!

– Holly

Now what was I to do in this situation? I thought it strange to assume someone is sick, but her action of sending me a get well greeting card was really thoughtful, even if unwarranted. I was stuck. Should I play it off like I really was under the weather to save her the embarrassment? Should I be truthful and apologize for forgetting to tell her? I returned to work the following day and showed my coworkers the beautiful greeting cards I received. I thought it best to tell Holly the truth, and we both had a good laugh. The next time I take off from work, I’ll be sure to remember to notify Holly and save us both the embarrassment!

Anniversary Cards: Is it Really too Much to Expect Them?

I really don’t need gifts, but is it too much to expect anniversary cards? I receive business anniversary cards from my company, The Gallery Collection, commemorating the wonderful day I first walked through the door. Well, not really. It’s more about the anniversary of when I started working on a regular basis because I had worked on a seasonal basis for several years before becoming a regular employee. Yes, I know it’s a greeting card company, but that doesn’t mean that they have to send me an anniversary card.

You would think that my husband would remember that he was lucky enough to marry me 35 years ago. Ok, so maybe the fire distracted him. Well, is that really a good enough excuse? Didn’t he think about getting me an anniversary card before our anniversary?

Oh, you want to hear about the fire? On my anniversary, I received a call at work from my son. With a slightly hysterical tone, he says “THE GARAGE IS ON FIRE!” It seems my husband and son were having a leisurely lunch when someone knocked on the door and said “You have to get out – the garage is on fire.” Well, what good would it do for me to go home and stand outside and watch, especially since I have asthma? So I stayed at work and kept getting updates from my husband and son.

When I went home at my usual time, I walked into chaos. It seemed the whole family was there plus the neighbors, the firemen, the police, and assorted unknowns. The garage was burned, wet, and smoke damaged. The siding on the back of the house was melted along with the neighbors siding and all the patio furniture. How it didn’t damage the car in the driveway is beyond my comprehension. Everybody hung around until almost ten o’clock and had pizza (which I paid for) and nobody even wished me a Happy Anniversary. Okay, maybe they were preoccupied.

After the last person departed, I sarcastically asked my husband, “Is it really too much to expect an anniversary card?” Hopefully he’ll redeem himself in a few months by giving me some fantastic birthday cards!