From Our Hearts

To Mary & Girls

Many times we receive a special card written to the soldiers from the group of stampers who create the boxes of cards sent our way.  We simply take the card, lay it on top of the box of card that is being shipped, seal the box and send it on its way.

The cards to our servicemen and women are letters of thanks to them, signed by each.  One such card made its way overseas and a response was received!

The envelope was addressed to Mary & Girls - addressed to our PO box here in Jefferson City.

Inside we found:

"Mary, Donna, Misti, Peggy, Paula, Lorretta, Julia & Rose,

I wanted to write you all and thank you for your beautiful cards & wonderful support of the troops.  God has blessed us with your attention and we will never forget it!

You can all sleep peacefully tonight, because we proudly stand tall on the wall of freedom tonight.  Don't worry for us; God has his arms around us.  Until this job is done - we are here for you!

-signed-

Chief B"

Chief sent pictures, too.

We want to send this card on to Mary & Girls . . . but don't know what group of stampers this is!  We receive so many boxes from all over the country, and made by so many groups, it's difficult for us to identify just which group made the cards he is referring to.

So, Mary and girls, leave a comment on this posting, let us know who you are, who sent us your box, and we'll be sure to send this card to you, including the pictures he took the time to include in the card.

An E-mail that Says it all . . .

This e-mail arrived in our In-box and wow - this come from the heart -

READ ON:

On behalf of the entire CJSOTF-AP compound, I wish to express our sincere thanks for the wonderful gifts that you send our way in the form of handmade cards. As the NCOIC of the JROCC (Joint Religious Operations Center & Chapel), I can assure you that your cards are without question, the fastest moving items that we have for our Task Force members.(Next to fresh Popcorn of course!) I have often observed individuals carefully selecting just the right card, and spending much time in thought, certainly thinking of their loved one to whom they would be sending it to. I myself, have been a beneficiary of your handiwork and I and my wife are most grateful.

 Your kindness, thoughtfulness and care for those of us here is above and beyond that of most. I personally thank you for your contribution to this engagement that we are involved in and seek your continued support. What you do for morale is something that cannot be done in any other way or by any of us here. It is without a doubt, the time that is invested, and the personal touch that makes all of the difference.

 Once again, my thanks to you, and to your fine organization.

They seek our continued support.  We boost their morale.  We are making a difference in so many lives.

Thank you, to all of you who continue to send us cards, card fronts, supplies and monetary support to help us to send boxes of cards to our troops who, as you see, appreciate, so very much, the handcrafted cards we send to them on a regular basis.

Your support, in what ever way you are able to help, is very much appreciated.

Scrapper's Boutique Receives a Special Note of Thanks from Iraq

From Our Hearts received an e-mail this morning from a very excited LeAnn A . . . and she has every right to be excited!  In the mail appeared a thank you letter from a soldier in Iraq - sent directly to Scrapper's Boutique in N Richland Hills, TX.  How did they happen to receive this letter?  Because they include their own customized slip with each card they donate to From Our Hearts.

We encourage everyone to do so.  The letter written to Scrapper's Boutique is precisely why . . .

This is what was written (posted with LeAnn's permission):

To Everyone at Scrapper's Boutique,

My name is SPC <name>,  I am currently serving in the Texas National Guard.  I am deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq.  I am a medic.

I attend church every Sunday at the chapel.  I also volunteer after service in the chapel's troops store.  The shelves are stocked with everything!  From food to toothpaste.  This is what led me to the beauty of your handcrafted cards.  I want you to know how much your work is appreciated.  It is appreciated by soldiers young and "older".  It is a blessing to have these to send home.  Numerous families are touched by your generosity!  I, myself, have sent many home!  I have a wonderful husband and four children at home waiting for me to come home.  I can see the love and time invested in each cards.  Please accept my thanks.  It is a small token compared to the large impact you have made on so many!

I hope this reaches all of you in good health and in great spirits!  Sending my gratitude from one Texan to another!

Sincerely,

<signed>

From one Texan to another - from one soldier in Iraq to a group of stampers from her home state who create cards to donate to From Our Hearts . . . the gratitude this soldier expresses says it all.

Email Received from Iraq To All

All,

Thank you for the lovely Valentine's Day/love note cards with wonderful handiwork.

Each one I selected reminded me of one of my children, one of whom's name is Rose and another that we call "Cory" which is short for Corazón. For example, Cory and I play tic-tac-toe in restaurants using hearts instead of Xs and Os. Her card had a similar arrangement. Very cute.

Please share my gratitude with your extended card-making family. I saw cards from Norman, OK and other places, in addition to the Jefferson City, MO "home office".

Keep up the beautiful work.

It brings smiles and loving thoughts this way!

From Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, Iraq, have a blessed day!

Samples and a Card Comes Full Circle

This month, the residents at the Heisinger Bluffs Retirement Home in Jefferson City stamped and created another 124 cards for our servicemen and women.  They do this faithfully, every month, contributing the card stock, paper, ribbon and their time and talent.

They include a personalized slip in with each card and even take the time to seal them in the clear envelopes so that they are ready for the boxes that day.

These miss you and best wishes cards are just a sampling of the several designs they made.

Thursday of this week, From Our Hearts received a very touching card and the return address was from a location we had not ever seen before, but then, our chaplain contacts do share the cards and we have many who travel and distribute them.

The card looked very familiar.  We look at each card that is donated to From Our Hearts before they are placed in the boxes and shipped over.  A second look at the card was all it took to realize why we knew it so well.

It was made by our seniors at Heisinger Bluffs this past fall.

Thankful, grateful, appreciative is the sentiment stamped on the front of the card that came full circle to From Our Hearts.

We share these cards and letters as they are not mean for just those of us at the home office, but for everyone who contributes to our cause, in every way.

This is what was written:

To Whom it may concern at "From Our Hearts"

Thank You.

I am stationed at FOB GARDEZ Afghanistan.  We do not have a PX or shops to buy cards like this for messages to send back to our family and friends.  I have a husband and daughter at home in the states.  It is a game for her to walk with Dad and check the mail.  I send my husband and daughter a card or letter a piece almost every day.  Just another way to try and keep your family strong during deployment.  I love your cards.  They were available for our troops at the USO.  Thank you so much for the time you put into making them and sending them to us.  Definitely a bright spot in the day.Thank you,

-signed by a Major US Army

Our cards touch many lives in so many ways.  And they are appreciated - as this officer puts it: "Definitely a bright spot in the day".  We are happy to be able to brighten up the lives of those who are serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan and of course, their families, friends and loved ones who are waiting patiently back home for their safe return.

A Single Mom Sends Our Cards Home Daily From Afghanistan

Another card received, this one from a PV2 from the National Guard Unit out of Joplin, MO - her name is Lisa.

She writes:

Dear 'From Our Hearts', my name is PV2 (last name) Lisa. I am in Afghanistan right now leaving behind a daughter (6 yrs in Jan) and another daughter (almost 9 mo.).  As a single mother you can imagine how hard this deployment has been on me so far.  I just want to let you know that I write them every day, sending each of them a cute card your group has made.  I love these cards & wanted to say thank you.

PS.  I also wanted to let you know that I have sent every soldier in my company a Christmas card (made by you) and I am also sending everyone birthday cards!  I just love all your cards so much, I decided to make sure every soldier gets one in the mail!  Thank you for all you do! -signed-

She wrote on the back of the envelope:  "Thanks to all the 'stampers' who make it all possible!

We are making so many of our soldier's lives brighter with just a simple, beautiful, handcrafted card.  The need for our cards is great.

Thank you, every one, who is making this possible.

Martie

From Our Hearts Believes in The Magic of the Season

"Believe in the Magic of the Season" - this was the saying that was stamped on the inside of a Christmas card From Our Hearts received one day, not too long ago.

On the outside of the envelope:

no return address.

Postmark:  APO AE

No stamp.  In its place the words "free".

. . . Another card received from the war zone . . .

Inside, the most beautifully handwritten message.

Merry Christmas

To all our loyal friends at From Our Hearts, I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.  Thank you for all you do.  Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated.  Here is a small donation so you may continue to take care of our troops while we take care of our great nation so far from home.  Keep up the great work.  God Bless.

-signed-

We could not read the signature.  There was no return address so we don't know who sent us the donation.  We suspect the contributor wants to remain anonymous.  This is a first for From Our Hearts - to receive a donation from the war zone.

Imagine, busy serving our country and taking the time to write to thank From Our Hearts and to help with cash so that we may continue to send the boxes . . . now that is from the heart!

This card and his/her words are meant for each and every contributor and volunteer to From Our Hearts.

Believe in the magic . . . our cards are a gift we give year round that keeps on giving and touching thousands of lives in so many, many ways.

This Is Why We Do What We Do

From Our Hearts received this e-mail from a 1Lt yesterday:

To the fine people behind From our Hearts,

I wanted to write a quick note to thank you for a box of cards that
arrived at our base in Iraq.

The cards are absolutely beautiful.  We are at a small base without
the capabilities of purchasing cards for birthdays, holidays, etc.
Your cards really do make a difference - they allow us to contact
loved ones back home and stay in touch throughout all of life's
holidays and special events.

Thank you for all that you do.

-signed-

This is possible because of all the support for hundreds of you, daily.  Thank you, From Our Hearts!

From Our Hearts is Honored to Receive an American Flag

This package of "official mail" required a special pickup at the post office.  Wondering what it could be and who was sending us official mail, it was difficult to wait until we arrived at the home office to open this special package.

Inside, a camouflaged triangle - and yes, we figured out what may be inside.  You see, From Our Hearts Founder, Martie comes from a long military tradition and knows how to fold the American Flag as she has done it hundreds of times.  This looked like it may contain a flag.  We were right.

 

The flag, a gift to From Our Hearts for all we are doing for our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, was a gift to us from the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component Command in Iraq.

Their letter to us says "Special Operations plays a vital role in getting the bad people off the streets of Iraq so Iraq can enjoy peace throughout their country.  Your support to us helps make this task a little easier.  We won't return until the task is complete!  It's people like you that keep people like us going!  Thank you and God Bless!"

No gift of a flag is ever not flown.  This was flown in Iraq in the war zone.  A special display case will be made for it.

We are honored to have received such a special gift of thanks.  None of this would be possible without all of the cards, supplies and monetary contributions from all of you.

From Our Hearts Receives Another Letter of Thanks Today

We are honored and touched when we receive the many, many letters, cards and postcards from our servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan because they take the time from their long days and duties in the war zone to write to From Our Hearts to express their gratitude and thanks.

This is one such card, received today.  It comes from Bruce M and as it only has an APO address, his location is unknown.  It matters not.  The important thing is that we are impacting lives in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  He writes:

Thank you so much for the fantastic cards that you provide to those of us stationed overseas.  It is a wonderful way for us to stay connected to our loved ones.

-signed-

Short and sweet, we know that it is from his heart that this letter is written.

From Our Hearts supports our troops by providing this free service to those so far from home.  From the brief note that Bruce has written and put in the mail to us, we know we are succeeding in our mission.

Our service is one that costs them nothing - and allows them an opportunity to "stay connected" with their loved ones back home.

It is with the help of hundreds of individuals from across the country and even across our borders that this is made possible.

This thank you letter is for all of you who have donated your time, talent, cards and monetary donations.  This letter and the many others we receive would not have arrived if not for your support.

You make this happen.  And we thank you, too.