Greeting Cards

My hand hurts and my bank account is dangerously low.

I have purchased and written in 14 greeting cards this week.

I’m not kidding. May is a killer for my family.

My wife’s birthday is May 13th and Mother’s Day is the 12th. This means a card from me for each (2x) and a card from the kids for each (2x). Total of 4 cards.

My mom’s birthday is May 17th and Mother’s Day is the 12th. This means a card from me for each (2x) and a card from the grandkids for each (2x). Total of 4 cards.

Being that it’s Mother’s Day, we also purchased cards (2x) for Katie’s mom (one from Katie and one from the grandkids); and another card for Katie’s grandmother (1x).

This brings the total to 11 cards.

But that’s not all.

Luke’s birthday is May 18th (1x) AND we have a niece and nephew from both sides of the family graduating this year (2x).

That brings the total to 14 cards.

I should buy stock in Hallmark.

Most people, when shopping for cards, can get by carrying them to the cash register with one hand. Not me. I need a buggie. Not the rectangle basket you carry for a small list of items. I need full blown shopping cart.

And consider this: If I spent just 3 minutes looking for “the perfect card” for each occasion, that is just under 45 minutes.

THEN, if I write in each of them AND the other four Pearson’s write in them, this requires at least 23 pens worth of ink.

I should buy stock in Uni-Ball.

Why? Why do we do it? Why is the greeting card industry such a big deal? Especially now? We have the internet. Email. Text messaging. FaceTime. SnapFace. InstaChat. The Twitter. Linkdbook. We have all these options now. So why do we still do cards? Why do I drain my bank account and get writer’s cramp every May?

We long to know that somebody cares. There is something incredibly special about knowing that someone actually took the time think about us.

Think about what is required to purchase a greeting card:

Then what happens? You watch them smile as it hits them that you thought about them. It shows that you value them as a person. It shows that they are worth being thought about. It communicates – intentionally, deliberately, and slowly (compared to a text or an email or a social media ‘shout out’) that you care.

This is why we do it. This is why cards are so meaningful. We do it for the reaction on their faces that reveal what is happening in their heart.

My bank account is low and my hand hurts because I love smiles.

I wish I could buy stock in smiles.

What about you? Who in your life needs to know you care about them, have thought about them, value them, are grateful for them?

Go ahead. Buy them a card. Write in it. Give it to them. Why not?

Seriously. Go ahead.

Please. I just bought stock in greeting cards. (Just kidding. . . but I probably should.)