Greeting Card A Gentle Space for Grief

When a basic sympathy card doesn’t fit the moment, choose a card that offers comfort through the complex experience of grief. The front reads “A gentle space for grief” above a close-up of my hand-illustrated October Bouquet of cream-colored dahlias, salvia, and Japanese maple. Inside, more of the bouquet appears in soft color, along with the printed message, “Sorrow takes its own path. I offer my quiet care to keep you company,” and the traditional meaning of each:

• Dahlia: devotion

• Salvia: wisdom

• Japanese maple: ephemeral

Ephemeral reminds us how precious and fleeting life can be. This card is meant for the moments when grief is layered or long, such as the anniversary of a loss, a loss others may not fully understand, or a sorrow that continues long after the first cards have stopped arriving. It tells someone that you’re still there, without asking anything of them.

I first began drawing flowers during a season of worry and loss, when focusing on each petal helped me find my way back to a sense of balance. I hope this card carries some of that quiet steadiness to someone you love.

The original took about 30 hours in black ink and colored pencil, drawn from live flowers grown by Muddy Feet Flower Farm, a woman-owned grower.

When you send this card, you’re supporting an SBA-certified woman-owned small business that works with American family-run manufacturers. It’s printed in Maryland on lightly textured bright card stock, and its envelope is milled in South Carolina and assembled in Wisconsin.

• Size: A2

• Paper: lightly textured bright card stock, FSC-certified, with 30% post-consumer recycled content

• Envelope: white, invitation-style flat flap, 4.5" x 5.75"

• Inside: lighter full-color art, printed message, and flower meanings

• Made in: the USA. The card is printed in Maryland, and the envelope is milled in South Carolina and assembled in Wisconsin.

• Packaging: All Vivid Cottage cards are sent without single-use plastics.