I have found myself with a collection of cards that family has written messages in over the years, and when I was a kid I always wondered why people would do cards at all. I would still collect them in my filing cabinet, at first because it felt wrong to throw them out, they were gifts after all, and eventually it was just merely habit. But as older members began to pass on, I found myself revisiting these cards and cherishing those small messages more and more.

I realized one day these cards are the only record I had of how they felt about me and their thoughts about me; they were a form of love letter that otherwise goes unspoken at times. The messages of "I am so proud of you" and "We always know how beautiful and strong you are" feels like a hug in hard times when I reread them. So now I am writing long messages in cards with the hopes that if something were to happen to me one day, they never have to worry about how much I loved them and how much I admire their strengths, because they can read how much in my own words whenever they need reminding.

My advice from this is when your writing a card, instead of just writing "Happy Birthday" or "Love xo" to someone who matters to you, consider filling that blank space, even if it feels cheesy. Heck even a funny doodle, thought or joke. Because those cards can last forever, and it could be exactly what their heart may need one day, it could even become one of their most valuable possessions. And when you get a card, even a simple one, consider keeping at least some of your favorites to keep close for harder times.