Cards for Those Forgotten

In years gone by, sending and receiving Christmas cards was a much anticipated occasion each year. Families would sit together to address and stamp their envelopes, write personal messages and even hand make their own cards to send to family and friends locally and faraway.

Receiving Christmas cards was just as much fun. Families would place the cards on the mantel over their fireplaces, tuck them into the branches of their tree or even hang them with clothes pins from a line on the wall.  There were many ways to use the cards as decorations in the home during the holiday's.

Do you send Christmas cards each year?  Do you receive cards? It is definitely a dying tradition for most people. For those of us on Facebook or Instagram we simply download a meme for Christmas, place it on our personal media pages and let that serve as a Christmas card to everyone.

But, what about those folks that do not have social media? Mostly being older folks. This means they do not get a Christmas card from us. Do you send these people in your life a "real" card?  I hope so because they are the ones who really enjoy this type of gesture.  They know that you actually thought of them personally if you took the time to write a note AND their name and address on an envelope.

There is also another group who so often go without any contact during the holidays.  This being the elderly in nursing homes. So many of these folks have no living relatives, at least none nearby or any that send cards or visit. Each year Caring Hearts Card Drive gathers handmade cards from all who choose to participate and distributes these cards to nursing homes around the U.S., Canada and Australia and this year they will reach out to the United Kingdom as well.. This may not seem like a lot, but to the person who receives a single card, this is a huge blessing. And there are MANY who receive nothing more.

Now, let's talk about the "handmade" part. Yes, there are alot of really nice elegant cards made and sent, however any handmade card would be loved by one of the folks who would otherwise be Forgotten. They don't need to be perfect, fancy, expensive etc. A card made from the hands of a small child is very loved by everyone.

I encourage you to spend a bit of time  with your family, friends, church group etc.in making cards to contribute to this heartfelt endeavor.

 The cards need to reach one of the volunteers by November 25, 2016. There are a few rules so please check out http://lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/2016/10/caring-hearts-card-drive-2016.html for more information and Be Prepared To Bless.

Happy card making,

Johnna

(June) Brides and Flowers

As long as I can remember I have heard the term "June Brides".  After a bit of research I realized that June is one of the most popular months in the year for weddings. It seems that not only is the weather mostly beautiful here in the United States but also it has something to do with the month of May, at which point a lot of young people are graduating from various levels of school and going into the workforce SO naturally, for apparently many, soon follows the marriage.

The main parts of beauty in any wedding outside of the Bride and her party of course, is going to be the live fresh flowers.  I've been to my share of weddings and even had my own.  The array of flowers vary from minimal to "over the top".  All varieties and colors. Flowers as centerpieces on the reception tables.  Flowers on the cake. Flowers on the isle seats. Flowers above the arch. Flowers in some hairstyles. You name a spot, there are flowers for it. It does make for a beautiful occasion for sure.

However, what about when the party is over?  Where do the flowers go?  Of course some are kept for the old "pressed flower in the Bible" tradition but what about a lot of the rest? They are headed for the big dumpster out back when clean up time comes.  What a shame to use these gorgeous flowers for a mere few hours and then just trash them.

How about we bless someone else with these flowers.  Wouldn't it be nice to take the centerpiece vases full of flowers to the local nursing home or homeless shelter and place them on the tables for the residents to enjoy?  How long has it been since those folks may have sat and had dinner with beautiful flowers adorning their table?  Probably a while.
What could you do with the bows and flowers that line the aisle seats?  Maybe decorate the dining area walls.  For places that have rooms for residents hang them on their doors.

Oh and don't forget about all of those petals from the little Flower Girls baskets.  Could you gather up those and maybe take them to a cemetery and scatter, possibly on a Veterans burial site or maybe a new site with no flowers? They would bring a touch of beauty anywhere you strew them actually.

Stop and think before you throw away God's beautiful creations.  There are so many people who never get to see these things for different reasons in their lives. So, for all who are planning a wedding, whether it be June or December, Be Prepared To Bless someone with those beautiful flowers that would otherwise be thrown in the trash.

God Be With You,

Johnna