Happy 2017.

I hope this is a very good year.  I'm extremely glad the last few years are over with and looking forward or trying desperately to do that.  It's been a rough time, and I know many others have had even worse  years and that thought makes me very sad.  I'm striving to keep the future in my face.  Those little grandbabies of mine help a lot.  And having my new craftroom set up almost completely is helping as well.  I'm finding I'm spending a little more time in there, although my little dog Brady isn't too thrilled.  Every so often he nudges me to remind me to get up and move.  

I think I've managed to send cards to all my Aunts and Uncles this year for their birthdays, and a few extra occasions as well.  I want to continue that.  I also have sent cards to a lot of my former classmates for their birthdays.  I continue to send cards to people who are ill especially those who are battling cancer (which affected both my husband and myself) and even more sympathy cards as I've learned personally over these past 2-3 years how important they are!  I try to follow those up in a few weeks or even months later with another.  Those I received quit a bit later helped so very much.  

I urge you to consider doing that as well.  Sadly, it took a note a few  years ago from a widow, gently reminding me that she was still alive and she loved getting my cards when her husband was so ill with cancer.  I put her name on a reminder in my yahoo to send a card every 3-4 months.  And I constantly thank her for that reminder -  even more so now that I am a widow and know first hand how very alone you can sometime feel.  Such a simple thing like getting a "for no obvious reason" card in the mail can be such a happy note for the whole day - or even sometimes week!!

 I see all the time on blogs how people are hoarding their cards, not sending them out, and it breaks my heart.  So many people could use those for encouragement to just simply continue to take things one day at a time and getting "surprise" cards is a nice way to help them.  I know.  If you've ever been in those situations I would hope someone helped you get through it in whatever way they could.  This is something that I've tried to do in the past, even before I felt it first hand,  I have a couple of friends who I often send cards to just "out of the blue for no reason" and have later on learned that my cards seemed to arrive at just the right moment they are needed for extra encouragement.  Boy, does that ever make me feel good to hear.
  SO STOP HOARDING YOUR CARDS.  Send them on their way.  You never know how much getting a card might cheer someone up and just simply make their day.  And you got the enjoyment of making it, let it bring joy to someone else.

OK,  I'm done preaching.  Back to making a couple more cards for my stash so I have a few ready when that feeling hits me to send some off.

I hope if you've bothered to read this to this point that you have the most marvelous 2017 that can possibly happen.  And if you need me to add your name to my list to receive a card, just drop me a note with your snail mail and I'll do it.  My email is  terriavidreader at yahoo dotcom