This post contains affiliate links. DaySpring also provided me with two boxes of greeting cards. You can see my full disclosure here.
The other day I opened my mailbox. It contained the standard fare– grocery store flyers, random real estate flyers, and gym membership offers. Then I saw it. An envelope from my RE’s office. I immediately knew what it was and I’d been dreading receiving it since our last IVF cycle.
Yep, it was our embryo storage bill.
There were two reasons I hadn’t been looking forward to getting it in the mail. First of all, it’s a fairly large bill. It required a dip into our savings to pay. And secondly, it reminds me that IVF is in my future again.
The good news, however, is that it made me wish I had something I was looking forward to receiving in the mail. So I decided it’s time for a Card Swap!
In case you’re new to the blog, the Card Swap is when readers sign up to send AND receive a note of encouragement in the mail. No gift, no mugs, no socks, etc. I enjoy those types of swaps, but I often find it difficult to get the gifts to the post office on time. The point of the Card Swap is to make it quick and inexpensive. We’ve had some really successful swaps in the past, and I have high hopes for this one, too.
The details of our infertility stories may be different, but each of us knows the frustration and loneliness of not being able to conceive or give birth like as we would wish. We are part of a community. Yes, it’s a bittersweet community, but there’s something incredibly powerful about knowing that we are not alone.
I love receiving notes of encouragement from family and friends, but there’s nothing more encouraging than hearing from someone who has been there, too. Someone who knows a little bit of what I’m feeling and going through. And that’s why I do the Card Swap.
Here’s How It Works
- Use the form below to sign up before June 3. (If you’re reading this on a mobile device or in a blog reader like Feedly, you may need to use this link instead). Don’t worry, I won’t give your information to anyone else other than your card swap partner.
- I’ll randomly match you up with another participant. Most of my readers are in the U.S., but I occasionally have readers from Canada or other English-speaking countries sign-up. For participants outside the United States, I’m going to ask that you be willing to send a card to someone outside your own country. The past few swaps I’ve had people from outside the U.S. indicate that they were only willing to send cards within their own country, but no one else from their country signed up so I had no one to match them with.
- I’ll send you your match’s information by June 10.
- You agree to send your match an encouraging card or note in the mail by June 24. I’ll send you an email to remind you of the deadline.
P.S. If you want to grab some cute cards for the Card Swap, I always recommend DaySpring cards. They’re having a Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on Boxed Cards now through May 31. Their cards are perfect for the Card Swap and for other times when you want to send a card to someone special. You can also use code 25SAVE at checkout to save $25 off any $75 purchase.
Photos courtesy of Pixabay and UnSplash
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