This year on my blog, Infarrantly Creative, the word of the year I chose was “intentional.”  I have such a desire to live my life on purpose, to be intentional in my relationships and the things I choose to spend my time on.  I want to keep short accounts with people.  I want people to always know where they stand with me and how much I love and appreciate them.  So this year has been a mission to try to do that.  I have been doing everything from scheduling monthly lunches with my best friend to remembering (and being on time!) birthday gifts and taking that extra minute to make that phone call.

Pear Tree Greetings sent me their exclusive stationery set to help in my intentional goal this year.  Like everything else they got pushed to the side.  Then that still small voice said “Hey remember that goal?” So I got out the note cards and decided to send them all out in one day.  You can always find someone who is hurting, needy, or need a pick me up.  It isn’t hard to think of people who could use some encouragement, is it?

It was so fun thinking of random people to send the cards to, people who I wouldn’t have unless I had these cards.  But part of living your life intentionally is noticing those random people, right?

Can I encourage you today to be intentional?  Make that call, say I’m sorry, schedule a lunch, date your spouse, read that book.

Thank you to Pear Tree Greetings for making me being a little more intentional today.

photo by: nestegg

I recently went to a going away party for a man who was leaving for Kuwait the following week. His wife, a friend of mine, was pregnant with their first child. Heartbreaking, I know! As a going away present, I decided to give them personalized note cards–two sets–one that said “We miss you,” for Mom and child to write to dad; and another that said, “I miss you,” for Dad to write to Mom and child.

They seemed to love the cards, but after the party was over my friend came up to me and said, “These are great, but mailing notes just takes soooo long to get there.” She planned on using mostly email and Skype to communicate with her husband. Of course, nothing can beat the immediate satisfaction of a video call, but I hoped she’d come to realize that handwritten notes, unlike emails or video chats, would become keepsakes of this important time in their lives.

I couldn’t even imagine the mental stress she would be experiencing, going through a pregnancy and childbirth while he was gone. But I do know that there is something about sitting down and writing a note that makes you feel connected to a person. A love note to a soldier can be about anything. Just the fact that you’re writing a note tells him that you love him. Continue reading →