Thinking Of You week may seem a long way off, but the power of a greeting card was really brought home to me when I spoke to my mum this morning on the telephone.
My mum is 84 and she lives independently, quite far away from me. This morning, she started to tell me about a greeting card that she had found from my dad who died 13 years ago. She described the front -two teddy bears huddled together under an umbrella, sheltering from the rain - and as she read what my dad had written inside, she was reduced to tears.
It struck me again in that moment, what a powerful and important thing a greeting card is! Across time and eternal separation, the physical act of connecting with the past, of reading a loved one's handwriting many years later conjures the original sentiment, and a whole world of emotion is encapsulated in a simple piece of printed paper. So much more than the sum of its parts.
For people like my mum, for anyone living alone, a greeting card is a lifeline! It is a lift in an otherwise static day when the postman brings something delightful. It is contact, support and love.
The @gca_uk Thinking Of You is a week dedicated to to "Sending a card, delivering a smile." The idea is to create a wave of card sending to bring joy to anyone who may need it.
Sending a card of your own is just one way to get involved. The GCA has lots of ideas on its website - from organising a mass sending from a primary school class, to giving cards to a local care home. The idea is get people sending cards. Take a look...
Of course, you don't have to wait until September. Why not surprise someone this week? I think everyone loves to know that they are in someone's thoughts, and for some people, a greeting card really can make a difference!
Don't forget to mark your calendar for September 18th 2023 to send a card and connect with someone.
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