Greeting card aisles sometimes avoided

There are certain times of the year when I try to avoid the greeting card aisle, and other times when it is the theme of the cards I ignore.

The themes include birthday cards for grandparents, mothers, fathers, and brothers; Easter and Valentine’s greetings for those same people; and even anniversary cards for parents several years deceased. Avoidance of the entire aisle of cards comes just prior to Mother’s Day and then a month later for Father’s Day. When one no longer has either of those individuals in one’s life, there is no reason to pursue those cards the way one did in earlier years. The first year after my father passed away, I found myself looking through those cards, trying as usual to pick just the absolutely perfect greeting for him — none of that mushy stuff, but one with some humor that related to his lifestyle — perhaps one showing a fishing line caught in the trees, or a dog running off with his trousers — silly things that would make him smile. And then I was crying, right there in the department store, remembering that there would be no recipient for any of those cards that year, or ever again.

It was a similar experience for Mother’s Day and again in the month of my brother’s birthday — who knew through all those card-giving years that a greeting card could hold such poignant memories or bring emotions bubbling to the surface? The pain is no longer as fierce and the other day I found myself glancing at the greeting cards and noticing the Father’s Day theme. I didn’t stop to linger, nor did I race away as I was wont to do over the past several years. On that day a young boy was standing there in front of the cards, telling the lady with him that he would be making his dad a Father’s Day card; that his teacher always helped her students make cards and he had his design already in mind. His comments helped me race back in time, thinking that some school activities haven’t changed all that much over the decades. Those boxes of treasures stacked away on a top shelf, when brought out for examination, will likely reveal a number of such in-school crafted greeting cards made over the years in celebration of special occasions. Amidst those cards might also be some other interesting examples of early craft years when the allowance didn’t stretch so far as to buy pertinent gifts at a store. Besides, mom and dad appreciated the hand-made items proudly carried home from school and presented with a great deal

of love, and anticipation of approval. For Mother’s Day one year, the teacher helped my class of eager learners make the gift every mother absolutely needed — a jam-jar converted to a flower vase. It was easy to make: bring a jar from home, then in class, paint it and sprinkle the wet paint with crayon shavings made by rubbing crayons over a vegetable grater. Stick a plastic flower inside and there you have it, a vase with a flower for mother on her special day. I still have that exceptional jar in my possession, used not as a vase but as a container for plastic utensils. For Father’s Day the teacher again had us bring jars from home. We painted those jars and stuck cartoon pictures into the wet paint. Inside the jars we placed an assortment of nuts and bolts which we also brought from home. Dads in my community that year were able to undertake a variety of building projects using that very practical gift. I’m not sure what happened to my dad’s jar but I suspect the contents were returned to his nuts and bolts jars in the garage, from whence they had come. It was, however, the thought that counted, and dads were no doubt astonished at the creativity shown in these gift presentations.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net