Sympathy Card- The toughest of all

Sympathy cards are difficult for me.  I think this is partly because they usually come suddenly and need to be completed quickly.  I think another part of the difficulty is from the fact that I genuinely desire to express emotion with these cards.  Usually, I think I am targeting more the evoking of emotion- the pleasure of the receiver at being remembered, thought of, and/or generally celebrated.  However, with sympathy cards I am usually trying to tell the receiver something- comfort, reassurance, encouragement, love.  I am seeking to express something from me to give to another who is suffering loss.  I think this might be because I have experienced so little loss in my life (my maternal grandparents are still with us to my great joy!).  I wouldn't begin to suggest I would have a clue as to what emotion I might want to evoke out of my receiving friend.  A co-worker recently lost a good friend.  We had all met and known Laura and all I could think of was to make something for my co-worker to hold.  I wanted my co-worker to know that my thoughts and prayers were with her.  I think this simple design, scraplifted from a post I found using Google, hit the sentiment just right. 

You might remember my recent post where I made grunge paper calla lilies with instructions from the blog Ink Stains. This flower is simple to make and quickly came together to become the center point of this card.  The cream vintage seam binding crinkled using water and my hands softened the hard corners and monochromatic theme.  The patterned paper comes from the stash and is likely many years old.  I just love using up the paper in my stash, especially when the result is just what I was after.  My hope is this card would be a tangible reminder to my co-worker.  We are not alone, no matter how it feels or how superficial our relationships.  I continue to pray that God would comfort and send peace to my co-worker and her good friend's family.  Loss is truly very hard and when teen children are left behind, it seems somewhat cruel.  Yet, we must remember that we are children of a Living God and allow our losses here on Earth to point us to the One who saved us from death's grip.

Andie