Tag: greeting cards

Thirstdaz Wandering Thoughts

We had to buy a birthday card for someone yesterday. I’d not bought a card for about two months. We tend to buy cards early so we have them on hand and buy a plethora of cards at once for birthdays coming up in the next several months. Anyway, in the time since I last shopped and now, our favorite local greeting cards purveyor, BiMart, had rearranged their greeting cards offering. Further they’d reduced them.

My wife said, “Where are all the other cards?” My wife is a greeting cards fan. When we go on vacation, she visits local stores for greeting cards. She walked around in shock, checking other aisles. “They’ve really cut back on the cards.”

I agreed. “Guess it’s a business decision.” I was mentally shrugging. This didn’t fit in as one of my pet peeves and I wasn’t overly bothered.

Then we started looking for a card for a female, celebrating her 70. She’s a friend…

“What have they done?” my wife said. “There are no friend cards.”

True, I saw. No friend cards. There was a small selection for LGBTQA+. Moms and sisters dominated. Grandmothers and aunts could be satisfied. Daughters. But friends? No. The greeting cards had become weirdly overspecialized, at least in this chain store.

“Guess we have to go to CVS,” my wife huffed. As we were walking out, though, she offered comments about it to an idle cashier, complaining about how much the cards had cut back and how overspecialized they’d become.

I’d walked on, waiting for her at the door. It just wasn’t one of my pet peeves.

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A Greeting Card

I had to go out for a greeting card for my Uncle this weekend. Somehow, I’d overlooked getting him a card. Receiving his in the mail was an ‘oh, shit,’ moment.

We have some on hand but none work for him. My father is the oldest. This uncle is one of Dad’s younger brothers, the older of the two younger brothers. There are also two sisters, all still alive and in their seventies and eighties. Uncle P was in the Air Force at the same time as I was, stationed in the San Antonio area when I went through basic training there. I was eighteen. He and his family treated me to Thanksgiving (Detroit and Dallas played) and took me out to do things when I earned free time and passes. Later, now married, I was stationed in the area on permanent assignment. Uncle P and his family again gave us a place to go, a family to connect with thousands of miles from home.

He’s endured the usual life movements. Children grew and married. Grandchildren were born. He had three children, two daughters and a son, ranging in age from one to six years younger than me.

Uncle P’s wife died of breast cancer four years ago. His youngest daughter died in 2020. His son died in 2021. Cancer for both. One daughter remains, but she’s a gem.

So, finding the right card for him was challenging. The cards were picked over, of course. Several stores were visited. Eventually the right card was found to help tell this man how much he’s meant to me and my wife, how sorry we are for his losses, how we hope that 2022 is a brighter year for him.

It’s a lot for a card to carry.

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