Friday, May 28, 2010

Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop!


Welcome to my stop on the Blog Hop! My card is made with Close To My Heart stamps from several different sets including Vintage USA and Childhood Portrait.

I am offering blog candy for anyone who pledges to send at least 10 cards to Operation Write Home. It is the "Mini-Masterpiece" ATC set from Artistic Outpost. The set is already mounted and pre-cut for you and can be seen HERE. Please leave a comment with your pledge to be entered.

Last year for this Memorial Day blog hop I wrote about my father's experience in World War II and the importance of Mail Call to those serving overseas. Today I want to tell you about what I have seen from mail that arrives from those overseas.

I often write here about my darling Auntie. She is a beautiful and amazing woman who is now 85 according to the calendar, but so young at heart that no one would believe her age. She met her beloved husband as a 16 year old, married him at 21 and lived an incredible life with him until his death 15 years ago. For the first 30 years of their marriage, he was an active-duty naval officer and served in posts around the world.

One of her great treasures are his letters. She has 35 years worth of letters and they are kept, just like one sees in a movie, in a box tied with ribbons. When she is particularly missing him, as she still does every day, she will take out her box, gently untie a ribbon, and read a few letters from long ago.

She was too young to be "involved" with a sailor the first time he went away. He told her he wanted to write to her but that she should date while he was gone. Their love was built through those letters and they married not long after he came home from World War II. Their great love for one another was sustained through his sea duty assignments by more letters.

Today her house is full of reminders of him- pictures, mementos of foreign postings, naval memorabilia, the flag that covered his casket at Arlington. The box of letters is kept private. They are for no eyes but hers. She will tell me that they are full of his love for her, but I have never read them, nor do I want to. Whenever she wishes, she can once again experience the voice of her beloved, telling her how much he loves her. Even as they did 40 or 50 or 60 years ago, these letters sustain her today.

Through Operation Write Home we can assist and encourage today's active duty service men and women to share their thoughts in a tangible form with those waiting for them at home. When a man in Iraq sees a card and thinks "My wife would love that" or an overseas Mom knows "that would make my son smile", we are helping, in a small way, to keep families together during a most difficult time.

I hope you will join with Operation Write Home in this wonderful effort. I know of no better way this Memorial Day weekend to honor those who have already made the ultimate sacrifice than to support those who are now in harm's way in service to us.

Your next stop on the Blog Hop is at Samantha's blog, More Paper Please. If you get "lost" due to any broken links, you can always start at the beginning by going back to the Stars and Stamps blog. You can also visit OWH's home page- this is the place for you to learn more about Operation Write Home and how you can help, even if you are not a card maker. And, if you Facebook, you can join the OWH page at FB!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

96 comments:

Bridgett Owens said...

Happy Memorial Day! I love the story of your Auntie! What a beautiful way to remember him...keeping those letters and re-reading them to feel his presence! I will take your challenge and make ten cards on Monday to mail to OWH.
Big Hugs,
Bridgett

Nancy Keller said...

What a fantastic story of your Aunt! I love it! Thanks for the inspiration! I have a box of cards in the works - it doesn't hold quite a dozen yet but I pledge to fill up my box and send it on its' way! Happy blog hop!

Rhonda Miller said...

What a fun card.

Thanks so much for sharing you aunt's story. That's why I send my cards to OWH, so the men and women serving can keep in touch with loved ones.

I will deffinately be sending out at least 10 cards to OWH on Tuesday.

Tink said...

What an incredable story!

helloholley said...

OK,you must warn people before they read this that they must have tissues handy!!! My eyes wouldn't stop tearing up at the precious story of your Aunt and Uncles's love letters....how sweet!! Oh, man....seriously....tissues people!!!
Love you card,your blog is awesome!!

Shelly R Wilson said...

Love the card and the stamp set, it's one that I want... just have others that I want more. :)

Kimberley Martini-Young said...

I loved the story about your Aunt. Those letters and memories are priceless. I will work on making ten cards for the Heros this next week.

Kate said...

Love hearing about your Aunt. It's nice that the heroes have email, etc these days, but I can't imagine wrapping a ribbon around a stack of printed emails and putting them in a shoebox. It's just not the same.

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm having an amazing time today hopping and reading about people like your Aunt. Thanks again.

My pledge this year is 30 cards - up a few from last year.

xoxo
Lindsey @ ScrapStreet

Cathy... said...

What a wonderful story! Thanks so much for sharing it! That really brings it home how much these cards mean to our servicemembers and their families! Thanks for the inspiration and count me in for 10 cards!

Operation Write Home said...

Teresa you needed to put a kleenex alert on this one!! What a beautiful story....please hug your Auntie for me next time you see her!

Erika said...

Great card - I will definitely do 10 MORE cards for OWH. And, as a military wife, let me say thank you for sharing your creativity to help bring families closer who are separated by duty.

Melanie Nichols said...

What a beautiful story... Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!

RobinH said...

what a beautiful story about your auntie!

my uncle served several years overseas .. some of the time she was with, but not always .. I'll have to ask her sometime if she has any of those letters

Last year I made several cards for OWH .. this year I haven't sent a box YET! I hope to sometime next month

Monica said...

You needed to warn us that we needed tissues for this post! What a wonderful story of Auntie! I cried. Thank you for joining us in the blog hop this weekend and for your dedication to OWH!

Kim said...

Thanks for sharing your story. Your card is adorable.

Martha said...

Thank you for your wonderful story of your auntie! It illustrates how much value there is in written cards and letters. I love that we can, in small part, help keep love alive and families connected. Thanks for supporting OWH!

Paula S. said...

What a moving story. You have really put a lot on inspiration into your words and given us a glimpse of just how meaningful these cards may be to a loved one who receives them. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Unknown said...

Your card is very nice! That is a sweet story about the letters tied with ribbon. :)
~TattingChic ♥

Anita said...

I will be sending at least 10 cards to OWH. Stunning card!

Rufus said...

Your story brought tears to my eyes. THAT is EXACTLY why I send so many (almost 1,000) cards to CFH now OWH. Yes, they may or may not have E-mail. But you don't print out E-mail and keep it in a shoe box under the bed. You DO keep handwritten notes. You not only keep them, your treasure them! No problem pledging 10 more cards to OWH, I've got way more than that in my current box! As soon as it's full, off it goes.

Thanks for supporting our Heroes and OWH!
R/

mumgranny said...

What a wonderful story. thank you for sharing it with us.

Karen said...

Wonderful card! Love the little girl! I have not tried CTMH stamps....this may have just pushed me into doing so! :) Love it!
Karen

D's Paper Studio said...

Wonderful story of your aunt. I hope her children scrapbook or at least write down the wonderful stories. Thank you for sharing.

Lori said...

thanks for the challenge. I am working on them this weekend.

Karrie O. - Sweet Paper Treats said...

Awesome story thank you for sharing! Beautiful card too! This is my second year to participate, I gave 108 cards last year and plan on donating again.

creations by jackie said...

What a lovely story about your aunt, she sounds wonderful. I love vintage lloking cards and yours is simple, clean. Thanks for sharing yourself this Memorial Day weekend

joanej said...

Another big hug for your sweet auntie! Blogs like yours are why I click on every single one in the OWH hop.

Anonymous said...

Amazing story.... Thank you so much for sharing.... I pledge to send 10 cards to OWH well it will be more but I will take your challenge...When do I need to send them by?

Tammy said...

Cute card! Wonderful story of your aunt!! Thank you for sharing!

Lelia Pierce said...

What a story! Made me teary eyed! Thank you so much for sharing! :O)

PocketsOfInspiration said...

Thanks for sharing your artwork. Enjoy your Memorial Weekend.

Dixie Cochran said...

What a lovely post! Thank you for sharing your darling Auntie with us. I like to think that many of the cards we make for our heroes will become treasures and last a lifetime as your Auntie's have.

Brenda said...

This is a lovely post! I'll be sending in a box of at least 50 cards next week!

Missy said...

What a sweet card.

Cindy said...

Great card....and a beautifully written post...as always! :o) I have cards ready to be mailed early next week...

Unknown said...

Love the story about your aunt! Thank you for sharing. I have a box that I am filling up to send in once it is full...I already have 150-200 cards!!

debb said...

Beautiful story, beautiful card, beautiful candy! I pledge!!! Thank you for sharing

Cut n Paste said...

Thanks for sharing the story of your Auntie with us!!!! I hope that many of our loved ones have memories and letters that can be read over and over like that. OWH can provide cards for some of those families!!!

SuzAnn said...

Beautiful story about your aunt and her letters! Thanks for supporting OWH.

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Oh Sweetie...
Thank you for inspiring me. I love your card. What a beautiful job. The little girl outline and the hearts with the star is awesome.

I love your story about your Auntie. So precious. Thank you for sharing.

I have never made a card, but you along with so many of the other ladies in the blog hop have so inspired me to try to creat some.

I have signed up to follow your blog. I can't wait to see what you share next. Please stop by and say hi. I would be so honored if you signed up to follow my blog as well.

Country hugs sweetie...Sherry

Lynn said...

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful story! I DO pledge to make those 10 cards, in fact I hope to get them all done this weekend to mail out.

Jan Hunnicutt said...

I enjoyed your story very much. Both of my parents are gone and I have a box of letters my Dad wrote to my Mom. I was 8 yrs old at the time of the letters, I'm so glad I have them now.

I have a box set aside for my OWH cards. My goal is one box a month, I haven't given myself a number to make, just a box to send. It works for me, I know there's a least 30 in there right now. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Kajikit said...

Awwies! Your story is just too sweet. :) I have about 25 cards ready to mail to OWH now - I still need to make another 25 to fill the flat-rate envy.

Courtney K said...

such a sweet story :)

Unknown said...

I only recently found out about OWH, and I will DEFINITELY be sending at least ten cards after all this great inspiration on the bloghop. Thanks for helping motivate us. :)

Brenda said...

What a great card and a beautiful story.

Brenda said...

Ooops, forgot -- I will take your challenge and make 10 cards for OWH. Thanks for giving just a little extra push!

Butterballfeather said...

This is such a cute card! You did a great job!

XOXO,
Greta

JPScraps said...

What a wonderful story. Both my parents kept all the cards they were given..each other, family, friends. They are reminders of how much love surrounds them. I'm sure I'll be sending at least 10 (usually 40-40) cards to OWH as I think it's such a wonderful organization!

Christine said...

that was a truly heartwarming story - thank you for sharing and thank you for your support of OWH

Meg Bean said...

Thank you so much for sharing our aunt's story. So wonderful to hear how much these cards/letters can mean to someone.

Adele said...

Thank you for supporting OWH with such wonderful cards. I promise to send in not 10, but an entire medium sized priority box stuffed full of cards this week.

StampinSher said...

I just love your story! It brings tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing your Auntie's love of her hero. Your story is inspiring and I certainly do hope that more and more people will continue to create hand-made cards for our heroes to send home, to feel the love that your Auntie did back then and now!
Your card is lovely.
Thank you so much for participating!
Smilin' with tears, Sher

Cindi (aka iring) said...

I'll do it! I'll get 10 cards in the mail. I've participated before, but I'm long overdue. Thanks for the moving story about your aunt. And want to tell you I love your paragraph about our sidebar! We like lots of the same things, particularly historical fiction and live webcams!

Renee said...

Thanks for reminding us how important cards (and letters) are for the families of our service members.

Susan said...

Great story about your Aunt. My dad served in WWII in the navy, and my Uncle in the army.

I am surrounded by Veterans. Owh is important to me, and i just stumpled upon the spring break blog hop, and joined up. I am disabled, all 4 of my limbs are compromised and I deal witha great deal of pain, so I make cards when I can. BUT... I am going to take on your challenge, and make a pledge to make 10 cards by this coming Friday!
I think I will make 5 any hero thank you cards, and 5 miss you/love you cards!

Thanks, Susan (#78 on the list)

Sandy Hentzel said...

Thank you so much for sharing!!! This is my first blog hop here and hearing about OWH. I will be making 10+ cards. I'll post them on my blog too when finished!

Anonymous said...

I really like the card- so unique. I commit to sending well over 10 cards to OWH in the next month.

I missed the Phillies game but hope they air it again. What an awesome achievement for Roy.

Patty

Cheryl said...

Lovely card! Thank you for sharing your Aunt's story.

Cheryl said...

youre story brought tears to my eyes...I think you should write a book about her and him...your writing is very good!

Stampin_melissa said...

You forgot to mention that we'd need a tissue! ;) Thank you for the reminder of how important our written words can be. I know I save all my husband's emails, but they probably won't be handy when I'm missing him many decades down the road. Thanks for what you are doing for our men and women in uniform!

Shelly Schmidt said...

I love your story! I started sending soldiers boxes years ago with my confirmation kids- the letters and stories I recieved back from kids that would get 'stuff' from my boxes were so touching, that I could not stop! What a great cause this group is and I am proud to be part of this Blog Hop! Have a safe and happy weekend!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful story of love! I had never heard of OWH beforw this blog hop and think that it is an abolutely wonderful idea. What a wonderful gift to send to our soldiers so that they can communicate with their loved ones. I plan to join OWH and come from a family of vetrans. I will be making my 10 cards plus!!!

Courtney said...

Your card is too cute! Thank you for sharing the lovely story of your aunt...very touching!

Thank you for supporting our troops and OWH. I will be contributing a card for every comment left on my blog during this hop.

God bless!
~Courtney~

Caryl P said...

A beautiful card but even more beautiful was your story....I've got tears streaming down my cheeks after that love story. I can just picture your aunt as a young girl waiting for letters and writing them, and today pulling them out to hear her husband's voice. That is truly why we make cards for OWH. I'll DEFINITELY be making 10 cards for OWH before the days end and more to send along later in the week. Thanks for sharing!

Seongsook Duncan said...

Thank you so much for sharing your Aunt's story. It is so touching. I love your card with the little cute image and hearts. I am going to send a box of cards to the OWH on Monday and will include 10 more for you. Thanks for inspiring.

Judy Jackson said...

What a romantic story of your aunt! Some day -- after she is gone -- you may want to read them for a history of the past.

Thanks for the offer of the blog candy as well.

Judy Jackson
judystamper at verizon dot net

Judy Jackson said...

I forgot to say I will send at least ten cards to OWH! I have done it beofre and had been thinking i need to do it again!

Julie said...

Cute card! Love that red and white star paper!

Sharon Field / Inky A*Muse-ment said...

Cute card, enjoying the tour and thanks for giving the main site list so I can find them all!

K. Joy said...

Very nice card. :) Thanks for sharing the story. How sweet!

Teepee said...

Your Auntie is such a special lady. I promise to send at least 10 cards to OWH. I am preparing them now, and will send even if I don't win your candy! Thanks for sharing.

Merry's Musings said...

What a beautiful blog post. Thanks so much for sharing that sweetness about your aunt. Its so true, there is just nothing like a letter, handwriting, the person just shines on through! Your cards was just wonderful. Thanks for being a part of the hop.

Just Virginia said...

What a great card! Your blog is going straight into my favorites.
Thank you for sharing such a touching story with us. I just found OWH a few weeks ago and am committing to sending out a box of cards at least once a month. I figured that if I made one card each day while my son naps, then I'll have at least 30 cards to send each month!

Unknown said...

Such a sweet story about your family! Thanks for sharing. Cute card, too! I love sending cards to OWH; will definitely be sending 10!

Heather Grow said...

Thank you for sharing the story about your auntie and her sweet husband. I love a good romantic story.

Your blog looks so cute and patriotic.

Jeanne said...

Thanks for sharing your aunt's story. I hope to make 10 cards just tomorrow!

Heather Grow said...

Woops. I forgot my pledge. I'm going to make at least 10 cards for OWH.

mmwilken said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful story. Your blog is wonderful. Keep up the great work you do and your commitment to OWH!

Suz said...

What a beautiful post!

I love your card too - you're always so creative

My pledge is to make another 20 cards to send in my box by 4th of July

Betty said...

Well done :) I try to make 20 cards a month minimum...I'm a bit behind this month but hope to make up for it next week at an 8 hr crop :) So I'll see you 10 and raise you 10 - wink

Wendy said...

love your blog,
I promise to make at least 10 cards to send, I've gotten lots of good ideas from yours... thanks

Pamela said...

Great card! :)

Jean Fitch from jlfstudio said...

Thanks for sharing your Aunts "love story". Love always inspires. I'm halfway to the 10 I'm pledging. This hop has been giving me wonderful ideas and inspiration.

Love your color coordinated card and blog scheme! Very cool!

Marsha said...

What a lovely story. I have over 60 cards ready to go and added more this weekend. Thanks for the chance for candy. And thank you for supporting the troops.

Bev E said...

What a great way to spend Memorial Day. I am enjoying it very much. Great card & wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Your story was wonderful.... and your card is beautiful!!

I already have about 15 cards ready to go to OWH, so I'm here to pledge at least 10 more!

Thanks so much for sharing & the chance to win!!

Happy Memorial Day!
God Bless our Soldiers & their families!

~Ola
okj83 at live dot com

Jamie said...

what a sweet story about your aunt and uncle. :)

I was already started on some cards for OWH, but I will be adding 10 more to the stack before I send. Thanks for the challenge.

Purple Princess said...

Fabulous story and card!

Susan M. Brown {sbartist} said...

Love the card! Thanks for sharing your story of your dear, dear Aunt Thanks for all you do for OWH & supporting the men in women in the armed forces.
: ) Susan [sbartist.blogspot.com]

Susan M. Brown {sbartist} said...

Oh, BTW - I forgot I am a fellow OWH participant with 3 blogs. I have pledged to make a card for each comment left on all three blogs - I must be crazy, but it's all for my little sister and her band of brothers & sisters in Iraq.

Angie said...

Very cute card! Yes, I will pledge to send at least 10 cards to OWH! thanks

Jennifer Moore said...

What a sweet story. It got me all teary-eyed.

Jana said...

Your card is very pretty. Your story is fabulous. Makes sending cards that much more special. I am sending a box of 100 tomorrow.

Corinna Lyons-Revello said...

I like your card, especially the distressed look of the star...but of course your story was the best part of your post :)

Corinna
www.myscrapbooklife.com