There is a book out by John McCain along with Mark Salter entitled “Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them,” which relates inspirational stories about people in different walks of life who made tough decisions in order to achieve success. One of the more interesting chapters is about businessman Marshall Field who developed innovative ideas and, through hard work as well, established his own department store, which to this day is still in business.

Working for a long-established and most successful greeting cards company, The Gallery Collection, I found quite a few similarities between Field’s business practices and the one’s used by our longtime owner, Arnold S. For instance, the book talks about how Field gave wide responsibilities to his customer service employees to make decisions normally made by supervisors or top executives. In our company, our employees also have the freedom to decide on account credits or whether a customer deserves a new order of greeting cards free of charge.

Field also felt that practicing conservative techniques – taking the time before deciding if an idea will be successful before discounting it – was sound for business. The Gallery Collection, having already established a successful line of all occasion cards decades before, spent quite a few years deciding whether to enter the business Christmas cards arena. Ultimately, the Christmas cards sales have exceeded all expectations and have become a major part of the company’s success story.

To promote employee loyalty, Field made it his credo to treat his employees with courtesy and respect at all times. Our owner and CEO, Mr. S, has done the same, which is one reason why so many employees are still with the company after 20 and 30 years of employment.

This particular chapter in McCain’s book illustrates only some of the attributes Marshall Field used to become the successful owner of the “largest department store in the world,” and which other businesspeople can subscribe to in order to become successful as well.

My birthday is quickly approaching and the excitement is starting to build as the cards start trickling in. Imagine my confusion last week when I opened a card with no return address and noticed the cover said “Congratulations!” I am not celebrating anything other than my birthday, so I pondered what kind of person would send congratulations cards in place of birthday cards?

After staring blankly at the greeting card while wracking my brain trying to figure out what might possibly be the reason for the arbitrary congratulations, I decided to open it and discover which of my friends, at the ripe old age of 28, had already started losing their marbles. As I opened the card, a twenty dollar bill fluttered out onto the floor. I read the obligatory swirly congratulatory greeting that wished me the best today and always, and then noticed the card had no signature at the bottom. After thinking about it for another few minutes, I pocketed the money in true birthday spirit, randomly tossed the card aside and quickly forgot about it.

After a seemingly endless commute home a few days ago, I started up my normal after-work routine – let the dog out, water the plants, start dinner, check the mail for birthday cards. While going through the pile of mail I noticed an identical envelope to the one I had received last week. I hurriedly tore it open in the hopes of receiving another anonymous contribution to my birthday fund and discovered a congratulations card identical to the one I received last week! A signature from my dentist appeared at the bottom, along with a note congratulating me on having no cavities and sincerely apologizing for the blank card previously sent by his new assistant with no explanation. Dr. Rocco also mentioned the need to reorder more birthday cards and blank cards for any occasion, and requested that I remind my husband of his dentist appointment on Friday at 2:30. Who would have thought you could get $20 for no cavities? But as it turns out, a second note appeared in the card…I did not need to contribute my co-pay amount this time around. Oops!

As one of the most recently employed members of the Gallery Collection, I’ve been learning new things on a daily basis. And apparently, there is a lot to learn about business greeting cards. I suppose my experience has not been very different from anyone starting a new job, but what has impressed me the most about my novel surroundings is the genuine kindness of the people here and the lengths they go to show their appreciation for one another. There are even some of my now fellow co-workers who will go so far as to offer congratulations to a person who has sneezed. Yes, that’s right…sneezed!

Now there was, as I later discovered, a much more elaborate reason behind this; a story perhaps better saved for another blog entry, but the idea of someone congratulating another person for something seemingly so simple aroused my curiosity. It got me thinking about the numerous reasons why people are recognized by those who care enough to commemorate them in some way, shape, or form.

And that’s when I saw the light, heard the trumpets blaring and the angels singing…well, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but I did realize something. Congratulations cards! I wondered, being just a callow trainee, if we had any of our own. Sure, I already knew about the Christmas cards and birthday cards, but what about this other possibility? I decided to check it out on GalleryCollection.com, and low and behold, I found several unique styles of congratulations cards. And what also makes these all occasion cards so great, just like all of the other greeting cards our company offers, is the availability of personal customization.

So whether it’s a graduation, an engagement, a marriage, a promotion, or a newborn child, the reasons for letting someone special know that his or her achievement is extraordinary are abounding. But sending people greeting cards to congratulate them for sneezing? Well, like I said, that’s a story for another time.

This is a tale of one woman’s date with destiny and how simple greeting cards, a get well card, actually changed her whole outlook on life.

It all began on a late summer day three years ago. I received the dreaded call that my 84-year-old mother had fallen and broken her hip. We had no choice but to sell her home and move her into an assisted living facility since she could no longer manage on her own. My kids thought I was the devil incarnate for sending Grandma to “that awful place.” And truth be told, Grandma wasn’t a happy camper during those first few weeks. But then everything changed!

My cousin Carly, bless her soul, decided to pay Grandma a visit. She was bombarded with a litany of complaints ranging from the bland food to the poor housekeeping. Carly tried to comfort Grandma by telling her that things would get better, that everything in life has a purpose and she would soon realize that she was sent to the assisted living facility for a good reason. Grandma didn’t believe any of it and thought that Carly was just trying to cheer her up. But one day she saw the truth in her niece’s words.

As it happened, Joan, one of Grandma’s fellow residents, came down with a nasty cold. She had to take her meals in her room until she felt better. Grandma missed her terribly since they shared the same dining table. So Grandma decided to slip a GalleryCollection.com get well card under Joan’s door. Well, by the time Grandma got back to her room, her phone was ringing. It was Joan thanking Grandma for the beautiful and thoughtful get well card. Grandma later told me, “You would have thought I gave her a million dollars!”

And the rest, as they say, is history. From that day forward, Grandma felt that her reason for being there was to spread some cheer and to make her neighbors feel the joy of knowing that someone was thinking about them and wishing them well. She found that the best way to do this was to send beautiful greeting cards. Not only does she send a get well card to those who fall ill, but she gives out birthday cards and other types of greeting cards too. I guess Grandma will always complain about the bland food (“I’d like to introduce the cook to a spice rack!” she’s been known to say). But three years later, Grandma is a much happier camper and still sending those greeting cards to every one of her neighbors who can use a little bit of sunshine in their day!

Personal notecards can mean so much more than greeting cards with preprinted sentiments. Notecards enable those sending the greeting cards to truly get personal when expressing messages to recipients.

I had been ill for several months and received many greeting cards from well wishers. I was and am grateful for each and every one of the greeting cards. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that because they were not notecards I didn’t value them. But there’s just something about getting notecards with personally composed sentiments. Some people just have a knack for being able to express their feelings in notecards. They can use their sense of humor or reminisce about a shared memory. My cousin is a person like this.

My cousin and I spent many vacations with our family. During my illness, she would keep me cheered up by sending me notecards and other fun greeting cards, and enclosing pictures of us on the vacations and other family events. The notecards never failed to make me laugh myself out of the blues.

The crowning glory of her notecard sending was when I was declared fit to resume my life. She sent me a notecard with a picture of a naked baby on a bearskin rug. Inside the greeting card she wrote, “I can barely contain my happiness over your full recovery!” Her P.S. was the kicker: “P.S. I have sent this photo & note to everyone in the family.”

Maybe I should reconsider my support of personal notecards!

Last November, GalleryCollection.com had a chance to be a part of something very special. As a refresher, we donated 280,000 holiday cards to Soldiers’ Angels, the nation’s largest military support organization, which then sent a personalized message to all the soldiers fighting overseas and a blank card for each soldier to write home. Soldiers’ Angels founder, Patti Patton-Bader, visited the GalleryCollection.com headquarters here in New Jersey to personally thank us for our support, and we were all lucky enough to be given the opportunity to meet this phenomenal woman.

It is now several months later, and Patti’s devotion to Soldiers’ Angels is still going strong…so strong that she was nominated by her son, SSGT Brandon Varn (who is currently stationed in Iraq), for America’s Favorite Mom, a contest sponsored by Teleflora, NBC, and several other companies. And low and behold, Patti was announced as the winner on Mother’s Day. With all her hard work, dedication, and selflessness as well as her caring and compassion for all the military men and women stationed overseas, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this title.

As the winner, Patti will receive $250,000 in cash, a set of home appliances, flowers for a full year from Teleflora, and several other prizes. And in her true style of giving and caring for others, Patti hopes to use her winnings to help open a ranch where newly returned soldiers can relax with their families.

Hats off to you, Patti! You have certainly lived up to your organization’s slogan, “May no soldier go unloved.” And for that, America loves you and appreciates all you have done for our veterans, the wounded, deployed service members, and their families. Congratulations on your new title. It suits you well.

I was signing some welcome cards for the new staff that would be joining our department the following week. I wanted to make sure I had them ready prior to their actual start day. Remembering how I felt on my first day working at GalleryCollection.com, I recalled how nice it was to have a welcome card waiting for me at my desk. I was very nervous, as you tend to be on your first day at a new job, and I thought the employee welcome cards they hand out signed by fellow staff members added a nice, personal touch.

My first day, which involved quite a bit of training, went extremely well. Everyone was friendly and helpful and I was truly enjoying myself as I learned about the world of greeting cards. I had met so many people that day; I knew I would never remember all of their names! I was carpooling with another staff member that afternoon, so I decided to wait by her desk at the end of the day.

A gentleman was walking through the department saying hello to everyone and asking how their day was going. He had a little twinkle in his eye and a smile that could warm up any room. He paused for a moment at the desk I was sitting in front of and gave me a huge smile. “You must be Lily,” he said. I was slightly taken aback that he knew my name. He shook my hand and I gave him a big smile in return. He welcomed me to the company and introduced himself as the owner of GalleryCollection.com. I had heard he was nice but I honestly didn’t expect such a warm welcome. He knew who I was before I knew who he was! That had never been the case at previous companies I worked for. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to find a job at such a friendly company. I knew right then and there that I would enjoy my new position working with greeting cards.

Since the welcome card I received on my first day made me feel so much more at ease, I try to do the same for new staff members we hire in our department. The employee welcome cards and employee birthday cards we distribute throughout the year are lovely gestures but more importantly, the warm, friendly courteous workplace we offer is really what makes our staff feel comfortable.

In the business world, congratulations are often rare while negative comments are more common. Every once in a while, I ask myself “Why do you stay at this job?” when my hard work seemingly goes unnoticed. I mean, I don’t want flowers or gifts, nor do I expect a raise every time I achieve something at the office. But it would be nice to receive business congratulations cards for my better efforts. Small gestures can mean a lot.

Other companies give congratulations cards to their employees. I know this because my cousin flaunts her corporate greeting cards every time she gets one from her boss. She keeps the greeting cards in a scrapbook for Pete’s sake! Obviously, receiving these greeting cards gives her a sense of pride.

The last time I hinted to my boss that there was such a thing as business congratulations cards, he looked at me as if I had two heads. I persevered, however, adding that my cousin had a whole collection of business greeting cards that were given to her by her supervisor and that she confided to me that she works a little harder each time she gets a greeting card. OK, maybe that last statement was a slight exaggeration.

Well, needless to say, when I had an important company inventory report completed a week before it was due, I was totally blown away when I found two greeting cards on my desk. Were they congratulations cards? You bet they were! One was from my boss and another from our production manager. When I thanked my boss for the greeting card, he smiled and said, “I am glad you like my idea!”

I held my tongue because it really didn’t matter that the idea for business congratulations cards was mine. What mattered was that I could now buy a scrapbook for my own collection of greeting cards. Maybe I’ll display all of my employee birthday cards in this scrapbook too!

I was sitting here eating a pickle and thought: “I should send get well cards to my brother-in-law.” I know…what does a pickle have to do with greeting cards, or for that matter my brother-in-law? Are you thinking that I want to say my brother-in-law is sour? Or are you thinking that I get a scrunched up face when I think of him? Actually, I really like my brother-in-law. He’s a little guy with a great sense of humor, but he doesn’t really resemble a pickle. Isn’t it strange how one thought will trigger another?

Here’s the story of get well cards and Bobby, my brother-in-law, and how I found out he loves greeting cards as much as I do. A few years ago, I was at my sister’s house in New Mexico and she said, “You have to see Bobby’s collection of greeting cards from you. He has them all arranged on the windmill.” Sure enough there were birthday cards, thinking of you cards, and a few just for laughs cards. He saved all of the greeting cards I sent him and right in front was a card with a pickle on the front, which he claims is his favorite.

Unfortunately, Bobby recently had a stroke and is in rehab doing physical therapy to regain use of his left arm and leg. I like to send him a few greeting cards a week to encourage him and keep him cheered up. So I sent off the get well card, but regrettably, I couldn’t find one with a pickle.

Once the Christmas season rolls around, we all come across plenty of holiday cards in stores or our own mailboxes. Some greeting cards are beautiful, others are funny, and then there are some holiday cards that bring back memories and truly hit home. Whenever I see winter scene cards, I’m reminded of my dad.

My dad was a real nature lover, preferring to be outdoors whenever he could. Growing up on a dairy farm in a small town in Pennsylvania, he spent his boyhood days taking care of the barnyard animals, fishing, swimming, and just enjoying the countryside. On snowy winter days, he would put on his skis and set out for school, trekking across the meadows to a one-room schoolhouse. My dad had an endless assortment of stories about growing up on the farm with nine brothers and sisters. When he spoke of those long ago days, it brought to mind the beautiful Currier & Ives paintings of winter scenes and I thought about how nice it must have been to grow up in such a place, surrounded by so much natural beauty.

My dad left the Pennsylvania mountains when he married my Mom. They moved to New York City, where my mom was from, and then to the suburbs when they started raising a family. I could tell that he missed country life. He lived in the suburbs, but his heart remained in the mountains of Pennsylvania, a place that would always be home to him.

One Christmas while shopping for holiday cards to send to family members, I came across some really wonderful Christmas cards. I picked out one of these pretty holiday cards for my dad, a greeting card with beautiful snow-covered mountains, a babbling brook and a family of deer in the foreground. He never mentioned the greeting card to me, but after the holidays I stopped by his house to take him out to breakfast at his favorite place, IHOP. He was crazy about their buckwheat pancakes! Anyway, I noticed that on his bedroom dresser was the holiday card I had sent him. The Christmas card was propped up in front of all his other stuff, so he could see it each time he passed by. He saw me looking at the holiday card, came over and picked it up. “You know,” he said, “This is the best greeting card anybody ever sent me. It reminds me of home. “

My dad’s been gone quite a few years now and I’ll always miss him, but I smile each time I think of that one little Christmas card and how happy it made him.