Harbor Pilots Among Us

Well, good morning Cadre. I'm Kathy. My Cadre handle is Speak Wonder. And the stuff I love to talk about is harbor pilots. How we're all in the water together, either going back out to sea or looking for safe anchorage in the port. We're passing each other, we're waving and sometimes we even get out of the boat and join each other on our voyage. Today's caregiver day. Thursday. I am at my grandkids house with their mom. So if there's ambient noise, it is the toddler. Thank you for joining. Hi, I see you.

Anyone coming on here, give me a thumbs up or a heart so I know you're here. And today, since I love to talk about harbors and water, I'm going to talk about sending ripples. Sending ripples out to impact other people and how one little ripple can make a big wave of impact in encouraging somebody. You may know if you've been with me long enough that I love cards. I love greeting cards and I love sending them. Hi Jen. Hi Brie. And ripples. That just gives me. And so I'm going to list them. 16 cards.

You should send a card to the person you love most dearly. Do they know without a doubt that they are loved by you and do they know it in your own handwriting? Wouldn't that be cool? The second card is the card to the person who struggles with depression or anxiety. That would be me. I was on a live yesterday and the question was asked if we want to rate your emotional status from a 1 to a 9, 9 or 10 being high and 1 being low. I put the 1 and I'm still here. So to receive a card written by someone who loves me, who knows I struggle with depression and anxiety would be a true tangible blessing.

The third card you could write is encouragement to the mom of young kids. I should write one to my daughter because she has young kids. They're 18 months and four. This is a busy time. Busy, busy time. It's, it's a season. I know you've heard this before, but I've seen the quote that says the years are long but the time is short. The time of potty training, diapers and learning and falling on the floor and recovering. It seems like a long time, but it's really a very short time. Melinda's here. Melinda Dean, I'm so glad to have you here.

We're having like a preliminary snowstorm and I guess here in northwest Pennsylvania near Lake Eri 3, we're about to get a blizzard on the weekend, much of the nation is locked in snow and ice. I'm very concerned about the southern states that are going to be getting ice storms. And my heart goes out to anybody flying this weekend. So, you know, even if you're flying to a warmer climate, if you're plane is routed through one of the cities getting snow, you might be affected. Number four, that sympathy card that it's going on in years now that you haven't written it, and you know the funeral was last year and you know that they're still sad.

This is the voice of experience to get a card a year later, two years later, six years later, remembering the loved one. It means everything. So, you know, maybe don't call it a sympathy card, but maybe it's an encouragement card that you remember their special person too. Number five, thank you to the teacher who helped you become the person you are today. Can you think of someone, you know, somebody who really impacted you? Wouldn't that be great to send a card to that person? Number six, the thank you you feel most guilty about not sending.

You know, there's somebody that's just right on the edge of your awareness. You're thinking, man, I never thanked him for that, for that act of kindness or for that season of support. It's never too late to send a thank you. It is never too late to send out ripples of gratitude. So number seven, and I appreciate you. To a friend who is a great listener. Do you have a great listener in your life? Somebody who sits with your stuff, lets you unpack your emotions, lets you waddle through things and lets you rejoice in your victories, all the while being a thoughtful listener.

That thoughtful listener might need a card from you and I appreciate you. Card. Number eight, someone going through cancer or other health struggles, you know, a cancer diagnosis is pretty devastating. Sometimes people learn they have to go on blood pressure and on that on their own level. That's really tough news because they've been managing without it and now they're having to have an intervention medically to keep themselves healthy and well and not dizzy. So. So that's. What was that? Number nine, Encouraging someone.

Oh, that was. Number eight, Someone going through chemo or maybe a surgery. Maybe they're post surgery. You know, maybe along with that soup or that casserole, you could attach a card of encouragement. S. mail. I don't know why. It just, it does something for me knowing that I put something into the universe. That's sending ripples, and it's going to land in someone's mailbox and more importantly, in their heart. Number nine, a note of encouragement to someone who's housebound, bed bound, or in prison.

Someone who's isolated needs the human touch. Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with an email or a text messenger, Facebook messenger. What do we do? Video chat. We do video FaceTime. FaceTime's really cool. All of the technology at our fingertips is remarkable and certainly important. But to send something that you wrote in your own hand to someone isolated in prison or in the prison of their house because their house found or whatever, for whatever reason, that would be what's going on?

My dog is eating their dog food. All right, Cadre. We continue on Harper Pilots. On caregiver day. Caregiving today in. In the language I speak is writing cards to people. How about number 11, someone who recently lost a beloved pet? You know, I'm a pet person. I love dogs. Cats are okay. I love dogs. And my corgi is not too far away. I've shown you pictures of her. Her name is Gracie. When you lose a pet, it's a member of the family. And I actually keep some cards on hand just for that. It can be a picture of a dog.

It can be an artist rendering of a dog or a cat. That's Sophia. I would flip my phone if I knew how. So you can see Sophie. She just wanted to weigh in on it. I think she appreciates that I love pets. She's expressing. Sing that. So that's a good one. A card of encouragement to someone who's lost a pet. How about number 12, a congratulations card for someone transitioning to a new city, job, or relationship. You know, we don't always think of that as a. As a victory. We see it as an emerging event in life, you know, Great.

They got a new job. Oh. They're in a new relationship. And we probably acknowledge that as their friend or their relative. Jen's laughing about Sophie. You know, to actually acknowledge that was a card to mark the moment. You better believe that they're gonna put that on their fridge or on their mantle because you remembered that. That's. That's a really neat thing to commemorate with a card. Number 13. I keep losing track. Number 13, I'm here for you card for someone going through a new chall, maybe aging parents.

Certainly that comes to mind for some of us on caregiver day. Also, someone who is getting through or has weathered a divorce. Maybe someone who's going to a new school. You know, it has to be mentioned here that kids love cards. And I remember years ago I sent a card to my friend's daughter who had to start attending a new school and it was really rough on her. I think she was middle school maybe. I sent a card to that child saying, you know, you're going to make new friends and you can do this.

It was kind of a cheerleader card to someone who was very much at sea in a new environment and a youngster at that. And I heard that she taped that card to her bedroom wall. Pretty cool. So as you're thinking of who to send cards to, don't forget the young people in your life as well. And then here's another one, number 14, senator 14 a thinking of you to the oldest person you know. Yeah. And we have a card to a long lost friend. These are kind of out of order because Now I have two number 14s. So a card to a long lost friend.

Maybe you've had trouble tracking someone down and maybe you found them on Facebook. Reach out and get their physical address and send a card. It'll send ripples of wonderful things out. It's. There's something very tethering about a physical card in today's technological universe where everything is instant. Okay, here's number 15. A thank you to someone who brings sunshine into your life. That could be a number of people. A thank you card out of you today. You bring sunshine on a cloudy day when it's cold outside.

I've got the month of May I guess you could say what can make me feel that way. What's the next line? You guys? Okay, that's okay. You don't have to play. Song lyrics often come to my mind at odd times. Here is number 16. A card is someone who provides a service but might not ever be thanked for what they do. Who provides a service? I don't know, maybe a behind the scenes service. You know, bus drivers. I don't think they ever get thank you notes. I can think of two bus drivers who are my friends who drive little kids to and from school.

I bet each of those ladies would love a card thanking them for what they do, for showing up, for putting up with challenges every day, and for loving on those kids and keeping them safe. There are probably people in your life. I don't know. It doesn't have to be a job that's invisible. It could be a very out front job, but someone providing a service that might not be thanked very often or who might not be thanked very often for what they do. I think of the security guard where I worked before I retired.

He got there early. He took care of everybody. When it was Covid, he took all our temperatures as we came in to the building and just was always there, like a part of the landscape. I think I'll send him a card thanking him for his day in, day out, faithful service. And if you're gonna write a card, always put a sticker on it. Yeah, that's the finishing touch, the sticker. You have been wonderful. I invite you to go out and be human in the best way that you yourself are uniquely you. I'm gonna be okay.

It's not been a great week, but Cadre is my blanket for this week. Most weeks, it's my launching pad. But now I'm hunkered down, and I'm pulling into harbor with you guys, and I'm tuning into every live I can find, and I'm getting life, life and light. I know it's hard work, but. But it's good work to be a caregiver. And in whatever way you're giving care today, my heart's with yours. We can do this in lockstep together. I'll see you next week in Harbor Pilots right here on the Cadre. It.