It’s easy to stay in touch with Mom, I call fairly often and we email each other at least once a day and there are lots of days that emails go back and forth several times but there are some people who aren’t on the computer or iPad, that don’t have access to instant communication and sending postcards are a great way to stay in close touch.
After Keith’s dad died we sent tons of postcards to his mother, it was an easy way to stay in touch and using an app on the iPhone or iPad, we were able to send our photos and quick notes at the touch of a button. No need to go out and buy and mail postcards. When we visited her we always saw the cards sitting around, some on the fridge, some on a table by a chair and when she died, there was the whole collection of them she had kept. It was really neat to see them all and to know how much they’d meant to her.
Some of you may remember that four years ago I helped care for my sister in law in the last months of her life. She left behind her mother and one of the things that I’d promised Lisa was that I would keep in touch with her mother even though I live far away. I’d been writing letters or sending her cards every 2 or 3 months when I decided earlier this year that I should try to write more often and I started using another PostCard app and in addition to sending cards for occasions like holidays and her birthday, I send her a post card every couple weeks or so. She has written me to tell me how much she appreciates them.
I thought I’d share the information about the app I use here. You all have given me so much encouragement and support and it reminded me that there are others that could use our encouragement too.
This link should take you to the TouchNote site. This is just one of many I’m sure but it’s the one I’m currently using.
Hi Mary! Staying in touch is just extra important now. My sister lost her husband about a year ago and since then I’ve been calling her just about every day. She’s considerably older than I, and we are enjoying our talks so much. Some days I only have time for 10 minutes, or she has a commitment. Other days, we chat for 30 minutes. I thank you for sharing this app! I have an aunt that is turning 101(!!) and is still living in her own home that she has been in forever. Isn’t that amazing?! I would love to send her some frequent messages because I don’t dare go and see her. This sounds perfect. ~smile~ Roseanne
Hi Mary! I have a high school friend who has had some major health issues and is now living in an Assisted Living facility. She can’t go out, I can’t come in. For her, isolation is a real, day-to-day thing. In March I began sending her one handwritten postcard per week on Mondays. I chat about what is happening in my life or about the subject of the card. Just small talk between friends, almost like the kind you share over a back fence or during a coffee klatsch. I sometimes send letters and also seasonal facemasks every now and then. Mail is her lifeline to the outside world. She has told me a number of times how much she loves getting the postcards from me. I even made her a postcard keepsake album to store them in (I’m a scrapper as well as a quilter). It’s a great way to stay in touch, a few sentences at a time!
This looks great! Thanks for the link!
Thank you so much for sharing that app, Mary! I keep in touch through text and FaceTime with my grandkids but they always appreciate something in the mail!!
Thanks for the link and for your post. It’s a great reminder of how special a personal note can be. I recently moved from East coast to West coast to care for my dad. This would be a great way to stay in touch with friends during this crazy time. I don’t comment often, but thanks so much for sharing your blog, Mary. I found you when I first started quilting several years ago! I’ve followed it for years and it feels like visiting a friend.
I tend to go in fits and spurts in terms of keeping in touch with family and friends. I do great for a while, and then have long silent gaps of time unfortunately. I was in my mid-30s when both my parent died, and I’m an only child. I do have lots of cousins, and try to keep in touch with some of them but we are scattered all over the country. I did recently get back into touch with a cousin in California and that has been fun. Wishing we could travel again so we could meet. We haven’t seen each other since we were small kids.