HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

This year, we didn’t send out Christmas cards. Being that my husband had just come out of the hospital, I think we had a good alibi. We thought about sending out New Year’s cards, and then the New Year turned into Easter. By the way, we still have not pulled our act together.

All the preprinted cards wouldn’t quite express exactly what the mood is. We would want to express the gratitude we felt for his recovery, the thanks we wanted to convey to people by sticking by us, and also a little signal to people that we may be down, but we aren’t out. A colleague called recently to tell my husband that a customer thought we were out of the business. I can’t tell you how many times people tell us stories prefaced by, “We didn’t invite you because we figured you would be recuperating and you would be too broke to participate.” It is hard to jump back into the swing of things when everyone is afraid to disturb you.

I have been thinking, instead of a belated holiday card, that we should get a new photo taken of us and the dogs as a “Just Because,” or a “By the Way, We are Still Alive and We Want to be Bothered!”

We don’t have any picture of us together with both dogs at the same time without one wiggling out of the frame besides Christmas cards and our wedding photos. Then, I would order some Custom Photo Cards. I kind of like the sepia effect, like in the photo below. Our favorite wedding photo was one that the photographer printed in sepia.

I think it can serve two purposes. Firstly, to rub it into our families that it is still snowing in their neck of the woods. Secondly, maybe it will break the ice with friends and family across the miles. By seeing a recent photo where we all look well, the fear that they are disturbing us will vanish and they will pick up the phone again.

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