I hate sympathy cards. Today, I searched all over our small town for a just the right sympathy card. I took a lot of time, and after searching a couple of different stores, I left with a .99 cent "Thinking of You" card, because it felt the most honest to me. Even the cards specially designed for certain sadnesses, sound one of three ways, super-canned, ultra-corny or extra-Christ-y.
Why do sympathy cards suck so bad? I wonder if this is just problematic for Gen-Xers & Millennials, with our less formal language usage. Maybe all non-religious people struggle with the sentiment of these cards. Or maybe it's just the limited selection in our small town. Whatever, it is...it's unfortunate, because I understand the valuable purpose of sympathy cards. I believe they are worthwhile to both the person sending and receiving the message. They show support & love in a time when words are hard to find.
I know card company's will never express everyone's feelings, on every situation, perfectly, and I understand no griever will ever find real, lasting peace in the words of a card, but I wish finding that perfect greeting was possible.
Today, perfection would have sounded a little something like this...
