Author: Henry L.

iPod Winners!!!!

Congratulations to the winners of the Apple 8GB iPod Nanos from the pool of scholarship finalists :

Bingjie Leng from Lutherville-Timonium, MD. Bingjie is 17 years old and attends Dulaney High School.

Sybil Lam from Pleasanton, CA. Sybil is 19 years old and attends New York University.

Andrea Binz from Ballwin, MO. Andrea is 15 years old and attends Visitation Academy.

Georgeta Ionescu from Panama City, FL. Georgeta is 18 years old and attends Bay High School.

Brittany Rugh from Carilisle, PA. Brittany is 18 years old and attends the Art Institute of York, PA.

We will be contacting the iPod winners shortly. And remember that the $10,000 winner will be announced on March 15th.

Sender of Greeting Cards (a.k.a. The Thoughtful One)

I’ve noticed that among our family and friends, we seem to acquire labels. Perhaps among your acquaintances, you can name the best cook or the trivia buff, the gullible one or the cynic, the non-stop talker or the shrinking violet, the athlete or the know-it-all. In my family and circle of friends, I am known as “the thoughtful one.” This actually was an easy reputation to acquire; I’m a habitual sender of personalized greeting cards. I’ve been like this since early childhood, when I carefully made my own cards with construction paper and crayons. Later, as a stay-at-home Mom with a budget as small as my tykes, I sometimes got pretty creative with my homemade greeting cards.

As interests and activities multiplied, social circles kept expanding. My siblings, cousins, and friends acquired spouses, children, and eventually, grandchildren. Even my children and their friends acquired children! Alas, time flew and before I knew it, I had at least two full-time jobs and a list of birthdays a mile long, which now also included business associates who had become friends. And let me tell you, when you’ve “spoiled” people by always remembering their birthdays, they won’t let you get away with suddenly “not remembering.”

I had long since converted from homemade to store bought cards but found my shopping trips for greeting cards to be too frequent. I even missed an occasional birthday or anniversary mailing; I just couldn’t find time for the card hunt! A few years ago, I found my solution and salvation. I now keep on hand a beautiful box of assorted birthday cards. At a glance to the calendar or on a moment’s notice, having this box of assorted greeting cards means that I’m always prepared to send off happy birthday greetings…without delay!

I also started keeping a stockpile of assorted greeting cards for other occasions so I’m always prompt with sympathy cards, thank you cards, anniversary cards, and get well cards. I even have a supply of blank note cards for when I just want to let someone know that I’ve been thinking of them.

No one suspects how easy and economical it is for me to be so thoughtful. But I’ve heard some lovely comments over the years: “You always remember,” “Every year I look forward to getting your beautiful birthday card,” “It wouldn’t seem like my birthday without getting your cheery card.” And there it is, with so many less complimentary titles that might have been applied to me, I have been labeled as “the thoughtful one.”

Sympathy Cards Help to Show That you Care

When an employee suffers a loss, an employer can find itself at a loss as well. How do you extend your sympathies and condolences? Although it can be hard to know the right thing to say or do, giving sympathy cards to employees who are going through a difficult time is always an appropriate gesture.

There really is no easy way to handle this type of situation but you want to make sure that you extend your sympathy and show that you value your employees. It is important to show support for a colleague who has experienced a loss. A simple and heartfelt “I’m sorry for your loss” can let a person know that he or she is thought of during a difficult time.

The 35 or 40 hours a week that employees spend at their jobs is sometimes more than they spend with their own families. It is said by many that once you become comfortable at a job your coworkers become your second family. This is the case for many employees at my company. We share in each other’s triumphs as well as challenges, often expressing ourselves with greeting cards through life’s ups and downs.

By having a box of business sympathy cards at your side, you can easily have a suitable card on hand to give to employees, ensuring that they know their second family cares for them when it counts the most.

Assorted Greeting Cards: My In-Case-of-Emergency

So I went on a shopping spree the other day. As always, my intentions were to stop at the store to pick up the one thing I needed, which was a greeting card assortment box. But as any shopper knows, it is never that simple! Once you get to the store, you start looking around and seeing all these other products that you could use or that you might as well get while you’re there.

It occurred to me that I should pick up some snacks and bottles of soda for my Super Bowl party. And I also browsed the movie section and picked up a few DVDs. Now that football season is over, I’m not going to know what to do with my time on Sundays! Along with all of this other stuff that I bought without really needing, I got my box of assorted greeting cards, which I sometimes refer to as my emergency kit. Once I picked up what I was really there for, I was all set.

I like to purchase boxes of assorted greeting cards because when I look for a single card, I end up spending too much time reading through every card (as well as spending too much money). It’s also easier to have an assortment on hand instead of running to the store when I realize someone’s birthday is right around the corner. I love giving personalized greeting cards, even when I don’t know the recipient all that well. The box of assorted greeting cards that I found was perfect because it included birthday cards, sympathy cards, thank you cards, anniversary cards, and get well cards…all the cards I could possibly need in the case of an emergency (or a senior moment).