Hearing that former President  Clinton flew into North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il, I was was a bit  surprised. I wondered how that became possible. I got my answer today in an e-mail from Phillip Hulme, one of our card distributors:

Dee Dee Myers, press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, was interviewed this week. One of the questions was why Clinton was chosen to go on the mission to negotiate for the the release of the 2 American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who entered North Korean territory and had been held captive for 5 months.

It turns out that Bill Clinton had emerged as the top choice of the North Koreans because, when he was president, Clinton had sent Kim Jong-il a letter of condolence on the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994.
Apparently, Kim Jong-il felt that freeing the women was a “reciprocal humanitarian gesture” that he would agree to, since Bill Clinton had shown him such respect when his father died, even though there were no official diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea.

How amazing that a simple letter of condolence written 15 years ago would have that impact.

I think it this is very powerful message. If we would all just sit and think about this for a few minutes: what more could we do in our daily lives to be human with each other? What effects would that make for us today and in the years ahead? Could a thawing of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea have started because of a condolence letter? What simple actions can we take to do something similar to that simple act of humanity with our friends, coworkers, clients, and competitors?

It’s definitely something worthwhile to think about, isn’t it?

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Check them out  at http://www.soc-blog.com/2009/04/mothers-day-is-may-10-check-out-gifts.html

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I  got this question from a new customer and thought I’d share it with you:

I wanted ask you a question about the cards. Are they all blank cards inside? I’m not a great inspirational writer and I thought the cards that (are ready-made) also have notes inside the cards as well as outside like normal cards you would get from stores.

I answered with this:

When I joined, I always searched for the cards that had sayings too, but as time went by, I discovered that the saying in the card wasn’t as important as the fact that I took the time to send the card! I found that just by saying something like, “I was thinking of you today…” meant more than the greatest card poet to my friends or family because it was sent from my heart.

Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

I’ve found this statement to be so true in the time I’ve been sending cards. People email, call and will even respond with  a  card of their own! Cards really do touch lives ~ we can touch them, feel them, pin them up on the wall and/or keep them forever in an album.

Remember feelings that come over us when looking through old photo albums, scrapbooks and yearbooks? Memories come flooding back, filling us with emotions…. We laugh and sometimes cry.  We own these feeling, which help us get in touch with who we are today.

Touch a life!

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February is known for Valentines Day! It’s the day we all, especially us females, expect flowers, candy and cards. So, come on guys, step up to the plate! You don’t even have to go to the store. Just point your Browser to www.greetingcardschangelives.com or www.jansfreecard4u.com, click the banner and follow the instructions to send a no cost card to that favorite person in your life! A word of caution though, don’t mention the card didn’t cost you a cent. The hearts sparkling in the recipient eyes may turn to daggers!

We women are not immune from this gesture. Those favorite men in our life need to feel appreciated just as much as we do, maybe more. So, take the same advice and send a card, too!

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NOTE FROM SANDY:  This is great news for card senders!  Now  we’ll  have even more features to use in designing our cards. The article mentions ’screen shots’  which I did not add here.

“Sending Cards Corporate Blog

OK, maybe “leaked” isn’t the correct term since we’re releasing these images with permission from management, but this is the first time the general public will have access to screenshots of the new card editor.

For those of you who don’t know, the card catalog interface and the new card editor have been re-done, tested, and we’d like to announce a big Card Editor Release Party! We’ve been spreading the word that the new editor will launch at the beginning of 2009, and we hope you’ll stay tuned for details so you can attend via your computer. We also want to highlight some of the new features that you’ll have access to in the near future:

The new card catalog will display more cards per page for quicker searches, includes a large pop-up view of the front and inside of cards for a detailed close-up before making your selection, and other features to help simplify your search for the perfect card!

The editor itself features an attractive, easy-to-use interface and offers a larger font selection, the ability to change the size, color, and alignment of individual text blocks instead of being applied to the entire card, and a built-in spell check to ensure your cards are pristine and professional.

Another exciting feature that we know many of you have been dying to use is the new versatility of the personal signature. In the new card editor, you’ll be able to add text after signatures (for all you “P.S.” people) and can change the size, color, and alignment of your signature just like any other block of text.

Adding pictures to your cards will be easier than ever. You can add anything from a full-bleed image across the card as we did in the screenshot above or you can select from other arrangements and add in your  images. We’ll even let you know the image quality of photos so you’ll know if an image is well-suited for printing or not.

The recipient page now looks just like an envelope to remind you that your card (or cards) are being stuffed, stamped, and mailed for you. Also, one of the most exciting features with the new card editor is how we’ve streamlined the process of sending a single card to multiple recipients. You won’t need to create a campaign card any longer, but can search through your contacts and simply put a “check” next to those whom you’d like to send your card.

Our final shot features the confirmation screen, where you’ll find the “Send Card” button. It will give you a detailed breakdown of the points and postage you’ll be using and even allows you to add points or postage on the spot so you don’t have to lose your work just because you forgot to add funds, and all this in the name of making your card sending experience as easy as we can. After all, our system is all about convenience.

Now this brings us back to the New Card Editor Release Party we’ll be hosting in 2009, which you can attend online. It will be broadcasted LIVE, here at the home office in Salt Lake City, and we need YOU to spread the word to your organization.

December 20, 2008 3:27 PM , Anonymous Sandy Morgan said…

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO! Can’t wait! Can I put this on my blog?

Sandy,

You can definitely put this on your blog! Thanks for sharing it with others. You can also use the “Share this Post” link to share this post with your e-mail contacts and on applications like Facebook.”

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Tired last night I went to bed early, hoping not to miss the 10 P.M. newscast.  One of the  features, on CBS affiliate in Minnesota, is called “The Good Question”. Viewers submit questions that get answered by reporter,  Jason DeRusha.

Anyway, I  did fall asleep! Luckily, I was able to view the report this morning at  http://wcco.com/goodquestion/why.christmas.cards.2.888082.html.  The answers for sending Holiday cards boiled down to; “Spread the Joy, Catch the Spirit and Reconnect”.  A pretty interesting story, viewers responded with  comments and reactions on Jason’s blog. Click on the above link to view it. You will see my comment there, too!

My question now is:  Why don’t we send cards for the reasons mentioned above all year around?

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The following comparison table was developed by one of our associates. Examine how efficient and ecomomical it is to send cards with you computer mouse vs. your car!

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November 4, 2008–Election Day!  Glued to CNN, I watched the results come in as many of you did. As the evening went on, I became more confident of my decision 18 months ago to support Barak Obama as my new President!

He Won! I cried!  I fought back tears as he gave his Victory speech (although it was more a speech of Gratitude and an invitation for us all to unite as Americans to bring about change). I wanted to see the genuine hope in people’s eyes as Obama talked of the future. He talked of working together to bring America back to being a strong and caring Nation, giving its citizens the power and the responsibility to help make that happen.

Where am I going with this, you might be thinking. I guess I want to talk about visualization. My visualizing that Obama would become our next President is similar to my visualization of my own life. If you are readers of this blog, you know that both Jan and I have Cerebral Palsy. Yet we have strived to overcome!

As a child, I visualized myself as attending high school, college, being employed and being married. I’m happy to say that I’ve accomplished each goal!  Was it easy, no! However, my desire and determination outweighed  the negative feedback from those who only saw my wheelchair and heard my distorted speech.

After reaching my goals, I began searching for future chapters in my life.  I was still relatively young and wanted to do more. Then I found this neat tool on the internet. It allowed me to send beautiful cards via my computer! I had reached a new level of independence. Learning more about the effects of sending heartfelt greeting in minutes, prompted by a thought, I found a way to give back and help others reach their dreams.  http://www.greetingcardschangelives.com has given me a future!

It is our inner self that makes us who we are. Obama found his inner self. He now wants to help each one of us to find that strength and belief that we can accomplish our goals and desires.

With the Election over, a real hope for the future ahead, we can now focus on a way to make a difference. Can I help you? The holidays are here!  Send a card ~ Change a life!

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