Expressing Sympathy

...is never easy. There just don't seem to be the right words. Such is the case I was faced with when I heard that 3 sisters I'd been in high school youth group with lost their mother to cancer last week. I knew I wanted to send them a card, but I also knew I didn't want it to be a dark, dreary kind of sympathy card. Yes, they would be grieving, but I knew they would not be grieving as those who have no hope. Their mother was a Christian, so they are comforted by the truth that she is in Heaven.

So I started with the A Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper and let its color palette dictate the design. The 5/8" wide So Saffron ribbon and retired double-striped Kiwi Kiss ribbon paired perfectly and layered nicely to create a great texture detail. I added a tiny scrap strip of Rose Red, also in the palette, so that all the hues were represented in the layout in some way other than just the DSP.

The sentiment is from God's Blessings, and it was the best I had in my stash. I wanted to use an oval, and I had seen on someone's blog, sorry to say I can't remember whose, that a corner punch could be used to create a scalloped edge! To do this, the base of the punch has to be removed, and it snaps off just as easily as it snaps on! I started at the top in the center and worked my way around. I really like it, do you?

The funeral was today, and Janet, Joy, and Julie have been on my mind all day. I hope the card's arrival will communicate my sympathy and care across the miles. I'd like to have been able to hug them myself, but I had to entrust that to my parents. Life is hard; we need to be there for each other, in whatever way we can. I choose to do so with cards. How do you express yourself when someone you know is in pain?