Writing Greeting Card Messages
"What's so often missing from our lives today is the richness of
shared humanity, those moments when we feel really connected to
other human beings. The act of writing personal notes not only
feeds our own soul, but also lets us share ourselves with others--
offering hope, affirming life, connecting."
-- From
Personal Notes: How to Write from
the Heart for Any Occasion
(St. Martin's
Press), by Sandra E. Lamb
Always add your own message to that of a greeting card, even
when the printed verse on the card seems perfect. Your own words-
- hand-written--make the message really personal, add your own
voice, and help to make the connection you want when sending a
message for a joyful occasion, or a sad one.
When you're signing a greeting card being sent by the
members of your book club, or your department at work, creating
your personal message in your own "voice" is a bit harder.
Connecting with the person you are writing to will be easier if you:
1) Focus on the person to whom you are writing, and your
relationship to her/him.
2) Reflect on the occasion about which you are writing, and
it's effect on the person you are writing to, or how she or
he feels about it. These two steps create a circle of light
in which you will be able to write.
3) Put yourself and how you feel about the person, the
event, and the person's reaction to it into this circle. Now
you simply have to connect the points of light, or
thoughts, within the circle to write your message.