Creative cards & messages

So many fabulous cards have arrived in our mailbox, and already the first two batches have landed in the hands of front line Defenders. Thank you all for your contributions! Please keep ‘em coming!

Each envelope that arrives in our mailbox impresses and inspires. Such care, creativity and generosity has made us wonder about the motivations and choices of contributors.

So, we asked two: Diane and Te.

Te is an American Postcrosser who learned about Postcards to the Front from the Postcrossing forum. Having recently moved to a small town not far from Canada’s border, Te started to custom-make her own postcards, and then decided to send some to Ukraine’s Defenders.

Te’s own-made cards feature different aspects of Indiana, and she has even created a ‘stamp’ image of her adorable cat, Fritzi – who goes everywhere with her! She imagines a Defender smiling, or even laughing, “when they see the image of my silly cat, Fritzi, or that they have a peaceful moment of distraction while they read about where I live and what I’m doing. I try to encourage them to dream with me of better days.”

And how thoughtful that Te includes illustrations on the back of her cards, such as a sunflower and a hugging heart in Ukrainian blue / yellow!

Diane learned about Postcards to the Front through a friend of a friend, and right away made a connection to the importance of psychological encouragement and support. On two levels.

First, she says, “those who send the cards can alleviate some of the feeling of helplessness that comes with the belief that there is nothing most of us can do to help.”

Te agrees: “Feeling helpless is a drain, while making a human connection through a postcard strengthens our resolve and the recipient’s. We feel less alone.”

A postcard is easy to do, and it’s well-established that the postcards do make a difference during the difficult days faced by Ukraine’s Defenders.

Diane adds that it’s important that “the Ukrainian people [know there is] support from all over the world.”

Her postcard artwork is Zentagle inspired. She explains, “the Zentangle method is a non-representational art form that gives its practitioners a chance to be creative in a very relaxing way.”

The sunflower in the feature card was adapted from an illustration found in a book, to which Diane added some Zentangle touches. One of the cards that Diane sent for the Defenders featured a Yin-Yang symbol to “represent the opposite but interconnected forces in the world.”

As Diane reflected, “the Ukrainian people are in a period of great darkness, suffering and stress but eventually hopefully they will move into a period of light and restored wellbeing. In the meantime they are inspiring the world with their courage.”

A lot of us are worried about Ukraine. And we feel helpless over the incomprehensible violence.

Yet, there many ways to support Ukraine.

Here, our method of support is through postcards that carry messages of support and love. Touristic cards from your home town. Fun cards. Homemade cards. Anything that can give a moment of joy to the recipient.

And, it’s not just the Defenders that our postcards support. As Te shared, “I’m the same age as a lot of the moms whose children are on the Front. I hope they also feel some sort of personal and universal support for their families … maybe they will feel some comfort, too.”

Te even imagines about reading soon about many happy reunions.

Diane believes that her works of art with messages of love “encourage someone I have never met nor will ever meet, [and] enables me to feel … interconnected.” As well, she believes that “a small act of kindness can have an impact.”

Whether you learned about Postcards to the Front from Postcrossing, Facebook, via WordPress, or from a friend … we’re grateful that you gave some time to send a smile and some supportive and kind words to Defenders of Ukraine.