I never understood why people dated the cards that they sent.

If it was for my birthday or some other occasion that was currently happening in my life, did it really matter when it was sent? (My grandmas and aunts were notorious for doing that and I never understood it.)

Short answer: yes- yes, it absolutely matters.

About 10 years ago I worked at a daycare with one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met- Phyllis. She wasn’t a woman of many words, but she had such a caring heart and showed her love for you in other ways (like often buying me breakfast and coffee because we opened together and she knew I wasn’t a morning person).

I forget the occasion, but I had gotten her something, seemingly insignificant to me, but apparently it really touched her. Not long after, she came into work with a handwritten thank you card and gave it to me with tears in her eyes. I told her that was unnecessary, but she insisted I needed to be “properly” thanked because it had meant a lot to her. Her words were few, but adequately expressed the gratitude she felt in her heart.

If I’m being truthful, while the card was thoughtful, I didn’t place that much importance on it.
But that quickly changed, and it soon became one of my most prized possessions (and still is to this day).

Phyllis passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly a day [if my memory serves me correctly] or so later.

We were all shocked- nothing seemed wrong with her, and this was *so* sudden. She was like a “work mom” to me, always looking out for me. I wanted more time with her… I still had so much I wanted to say to her.

Then I remembered her thank you card.

The timing of being given the card and her leaving this earth was eerie to me. In my mind I always wonder if she knew she was leaving soon and that’s why she gave it to me- I’ll never know. But what I do know is that that’s the last “physical piece” of Phyllis I have left. And how precious it is to have in writing how she felt about me.

Cards and notes take on whole new meanings when they’re all you have left of someone. It’s such a gift to be able to go back and remember specific moments you were remembered by that person- moments that were important enough to them to send you a card or write you a little note to express their heart. And you never know; someone may need to look back on a difficult time in their life and *remember* that they had people who cared and loved them. Imagine how much a card or a note to look back on could mean to them in that moment…

Lindsey didn’t often write out her feelings in a card (though when she did it was such a treasure and I am forever thankful that I have them) but she’d always pick the perfect card that expressed how she really felt (which meant just as much). We were kids, so neither of us dated our cards- but as I go through the stack that I have, I wish so badly I could remember exactly when she gave them to me so I could reflect on that year or moment.

We have *quite* an impressive stack of cards and notes from our parents [something they still do to this day and something I am forever grateful for]. In my heart I’ve always tried to make peace with the fact that one day I may not have them here with me anymore, so I’ve always appreciated those dates. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be going through cards from my little sister to try to “reconnect” with her.

Life is so short, and so unpredictable.
Send the card, even though you may be slightly inconvenienced to do so. It’ll be worth it to your recipient.
And please- date the card.
When that’s all they have left from you, they’ll appreciate it.