Greeting Card Wisdom

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Beautiful
Review: I am moved by the words and images in this collection of Brush Dance cards. What a great idea to turn them into a book!

I love being able to open this book to any page and be inspired with such wonderful quotes to think about as I go throughout my day.

One of my favorite quotes is "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails."

I highly recommend this book. For the upcoming holidays this is the book I'm going to send to my friends and family.

Rating:
Summary: Zen and the Art of Greeting Cards
Review: This is a simple book. In the best meaning of simple.

Beautiful calligraphy and artwork. Thoughtful, poignant, sometimes humourous reflections on being.

My personal favorite: "Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it".

Don't you agree?

The book groups images and ideas (the greeting cards) into nine themes:

Let Yourself Be Vulnerable;

Trust Yourself;

Cultivate an Open, Flexible Mind;

Life is Short;

Embrace Difficulty;

Go Beyound Perceived Limitations;

Follow Your Heart;

Value Friendship and Intimacy;

Let Joy In.

These themes provide the structure to which the disparate images and ideas expressed in the individual greeting cards adhere.

Each of these thematic chapters (grouping of cards) is introduced with the author's, (Marc Lesser) own unique and personal reflections on the theme. Thus, in Let Joy In, Marc, in reflecting on the theme of joy in life, recounts his daughter's response to his request one day, "tell me about your day, something funny or unusual that happened, something that made you laugh." Her response: "She thought for a few minutes, and then she turned to me and said, Daddy, I laugh all day long!" The greeting cards that follow amplify on the theme, reflect it from different angles.

If you are a 'busy' person like me, you will probably read this book quickly, delight in some of the thoughts, smirk at others. But don't be surprised if you find yourself coming back to one image/idea several days or weeks later. What did that card say about doors closing. Oh yeah, "when one door closes, another opens, somewhere."