Just the other day, we had a lovely woman place an order for an arrangement for a 2-month-old baby that had just undergone open heart surgery… 2 months! I thought to myself, well babies are more resilient than we adults are. They haven’t yet felt the hardships of the world fall on their shoulders. And if they had, those memories would soon fade away. As I pondered this, the most striking thing I realized is that babies and children are constantly living in the now. They are intentionally living, being, and striving within their present moment.  

With so much going on in the world, it’s easy to forget that precious moments don’t just happen but are, rather, created. What was the last meaningful moment you remember creating? Where were you? Who was there? What did you feel, and why is this the moment that’s resonating with you right now? 

Working at Fantasy Floral, I am blessed to be part of the important moments in people’s lives—the joyful and the somber. Living intentionally is a choice, and this week’s important moment reminded me to choose to live…intentionally.

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Length

When I was in college, my Creative Writing teacher told me that “the quality of the words you use is more important than their quantity”. A card message doesn’t have to be long to be meaningful! One of my favorite examples of this is a recent message for Valentine’s Day: “A flower for my lady, a bouquet for my queen; let us always set time aside to dream.” 

While short messages always work, it’s important to consider more than just the standard “I love you” or “Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Holiday.” A message that means something to the recipient, even if it’s long, will be remembered long after the vase is empty. For example, there’s a pair of sisters who frequently order flowers for each other. Their card messages are always lyrics to a rock song. The messages can get lengthy, but it’s their sister thing!

Tone

The tone of the message is also important to consider, and that depends on the occasion for sending flowers. A sympathy message will have a very different tone than a birthday message. Being specific about the tone you’d like to use–for example, letting us know whether to include exclamation points or not. This ensures your message contains the intended enthusiasm or serenity as needed. 

Content

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, honesty and sincerity make the best card messages. There’s a time and a place for stock-standard well-wishes, but in my experience, the messages that stick are the personal ones. Perhaps there’s an inside joke you could include, or a phrase that has special meaning for you and the recipient. Here are some of our favorites:

“I love you today, more than the day I met you, and tomorrow I will love you even more. Happy Valentine’s Day, my beautiful wife! I love you!” It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events: “I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you every Tuesday.”

Surprisingly, something few people consider using is humor in their message! One recent sender referenced The Simpson’s scene, “To a whale of a wife.” (He promised us his wife would laugh!)

Anything that shows that you put thought and care into the card message you send will make the recipient smile!

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