In a time when we often find ourselves divided instead of united,

Be reminded, there is only one force that overcomes fear and hate,

LOVE makes US great!

My great-grandmother should have owned stock in Hallmark. She was legendary for always sending cards for every occasion. You knew she had been shopping when half of the little sleeves for cards at the local shop were empty. 

I even received a birthday card several months after she passed away. Paranormal activity? Nah, she was very organized and planned way ahead. Shortly after she died, one of my relatives found a stack of cards that already had notes written in them and envelopes already addressed. The envelopes had a date written in pencil on a corner as a reminder of when to send them. My relative took the stack and mailed them out on the noted dates - along with an explanatory note so we wouldn’t freak out!

Personally, I still cherish receiving cards in the mail. I display them in my home for a while, making me smile every time I walk by. It's like a little hug from the sender. I have held onto several of those hugs.

Nowadays, with texting, email, and social media readily available, cards are rarely sent. According to the USPS Historian, the number of stamped cards and postcards declined over the past 20 years from 2.5B in 2004 to 326M in 2024! I’m sad to say I’ve contributed to this decline.

There is hope! Recently, I learned on the Freakonomics podcast that the younger generations are getting back into sending cards to friends and family when it is "card-worthy." They do not send them frequently, but when they do, they take time to find the perfect card for the person and occasion. 

Taking a page from Nana’s playbook, I’m working to get better at planning ahead to send hugs. Warning, it’s still likely that a lot of folks will receive belated birthday hugs. 

Who will you send a hug to today?

Love requires participation. Love requires sharing. Love requires action. Love requires commitment. What you share is amplified and inspires others.

With gratitude,

Joyce Aiko

(yes, love really is my middle name)