Life of a 3 1/2" x 2" Card

Life on a 3 1/2 x 2 card

Have you ever wondered how our lives often revolve around a 3 1/2-by-2 card?

From the moment we take our first breath, life begins to arrive — printed on paper and sealed in envelopes.

A card with soft colours and tiny footprints welcomes us into the world: "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" Our name, handwritten by someone who loves us but doesn't yet know us. Often attached to this bouquet of beautiful flowers, teddy bears or even today, a gorgeous arrangement of fresh fruit.

Then the years begin to fill the space between.

A birthday card with glitter that spills across the kitchen table. The first love shows up with red roses in hand; on that first Valentine's Day, you tuck that card away, and sweet dreams follow that night.

The furious-by-nature fight with our boyfriend, significant other, or spouse, followed by an apology with a beautiful arrangement of our most favourite flowers.

A get-well-soon card taped beside a hospital bed.

Family and friends come with hugs and feel-better-soon vibes, accompanied by sunflowers and daisies. I will say, in this circumstance, he comes delivering my loved Mocha MooLatte from Dairy Queen, just saying... a girl needs her substance.

A graduation card tucked with twenty dollars and a note that says, "So proud of you."

Love Grandma Joy and Papa John.

Or that Gold Medal Skate, roses in tow, Congratulations, on a job well done! A little card tucked inside, almost like a secret being savored and shared.

A wedding invitation embossed in gold.

A baby shower card, this time for someone else.

Every milestone of joy or sorrow, love or loss, somehow fits inside that small rectangle — 3 1/2 x2 inches of emotion, memory, and ink.

And then, one final card arrives — not for us, but about us. Flowers pressed, words chosen carefully: "In loving memory." The cycle completes itself.

It's strange how a whole life — decades of laughter, struggle, and change—can be travelled through the cards we give and receive. Like a time machine, it takes us back, allowing us to look back and giving us smiles and memories to be cherished and not forgotten.

Each one is a snapshot of connection.

Each one proved that we were thought of, remembered, and loved.

Maybe life itself is like that little card — small in size, but filled with meaning when someone takes the time to write something inside.

In closing, the next time you receive a little card attached to something beautiful, significant, or just thoughtful, smile, reflect, and file it away, so one day your story will be cherished and remembered just like mine.

I thought of our newest feature for Exit Life Ready: Final Wishes app. Would it not be wonderful to take a snapshot of that beautiful card—a thoughtful memory—and store it away, creating a story of the life once lived, full of love?

Until next time... hugs

Joy

About Exit Life Ready

Exit Life Ready is a legacy app where your legacy planning begins. Planning for the future often doesn’t include legacy planning, but it should. Having a final wishes app ensures that your wishes are honored and your legacy is remembered.

The legacy app, Exit Life Ready, was developed to give control back to you, offering features such as a secure digital vault where all your legal documents, estate plans, and legacy planning materials can be safely stored. Your legacy planning also includes recording legacy videos, sharing family recipes, and preserving cherished photos to keep your memory and story alive.

Our final wishes app helps simplify planning for the future by centralizing important information such as estate documents, emergency contacts, and care instructions all in one place. Legacy planning doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does need to happen for your peace of mind and the comfort of your loved ones.