Postcards from the Heart

When you're on vacation do you take the time to send postcards anymore?  Are postcards still popular?  When I was a kid, postcards were very popular.  Any time we went on vacation we always sent a postcard to our grandparents.  When I went to summer camp I always sent postcards to my parents and my sisters.  And whenever my grandparents took a trip, they always sent me postcards from their travels.  In fact, I still have a lot of my old postcards saved in my scrapbook and my favorite one is from my grandmother when she was in Germany. 

It's interesting to look at a postcard that was sent to me over 40 years ago.  I can close my eyes and picture my grandma standing half the world away and searching through the postcards, trying to find just the right one to mail to me.   It's so nostalgic to sit and look at her handwriting on the card and run my fingers across it.  It's like reaching back across the years and holding grandma's hand. 

Here's the cool things that I like about postcards...

• The enticing photo on the front.  So many great shots of faraway places, historic sites, interesting people or animals.  The possibilities are endless and they are like mini advertisements.

• The back of the postcard always has an informative description about the photo on the front.  I can't begin to tell you how many places I've wanted to visit based on a postcard photo and description.  I always read the description and I get mad when the post office date stamp runs over onto it.

• The message from the person who sent it.  Just the fact that someone thought about me enough to take the time to send a postcard makes me happy. 
• They are relatively inexpensive to buy and send.  It's such a personal touch and a lot more fun than an email.

My sweet friend Diane, over at Lavender Dreams knows how much I enjoy postcards.  One of my dreams is to one day hike a section of the Appalachian Trail and it's on my bucket list.  Over the summer Diane mailed me a postcard from the Appalachian Trail.  I still have it propped up against the computer in my office so I can look at it everyday and remember my dream.

Yesterday I wasn't having a good day.  Let's just say that a badly clogged drain pipe flooded 2 bathrooms and a hallway.  I'll spare you the gross details but I will say - Big mess!  Once the system was rodded out and everything was cleaned spotless, I sat down and started to go through my mail.  Peeking out at me between the bills and sparkling like a little gem was a colorful postcard from Diane about The Blue Ridge Parkway, along with a charming little note.  It immediately brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits.  It was like Diane reached across the miles and gave me a little hug.  Her timing couldn't have been more perfect!  Thank you Diane.

The next time you're on vacation you might want to stop and grab a postcard or two to send off.  Who knows, you may open someone's eyes to a new horizon.  Postcards are such a great way to brighten someone's day and just let them know that you were thinking about them.   It's  a fun way to send a hug.