Dear 123Greetings subscriber,

Hi, buddies ! Mother’s day is almost here and so are the romantic days… what with International Online Romance Week queuing up ! But don’t get too excited, ok ? ‘Coz if you do, then the coming Blood Pressure Day should remind you to sit back and relax. All in all, the week promises to be a real fun roller-coaster ride !

It was the cookies that did it ! Well pals, I’m ashamed to admit this, but it had completely slipped my mind that Mother’s Day was just around the corner ! So there I was chatting with Rick at the corner burger joint on Friday evening when the warm, sweet smell of freshly baked cookies wafted into my nostrils… I turned my head ‘n noticed that the girl in the next shop was just taking out a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies from the oven. And then at once, it hit me ! I remembered the way my mom used to do exactly the same thing when I was a kid, and how Betty ‘n I couldn’t wait to get our hands on the munchy goodies… I used to tug at her apron and she kept saying, “Hold on, Bob. It’s still too hot !” Oh, those were the days ! Thinking back about my growing years still brings tears of joy to my eyes ! How I appreciate the tender love with which you brought us up, mom ! The least I can do is to express my love to her with a lovely e-card on Mother’s Day. I can never repay the kindness, but I’ll always, always love you, mom.

There are times when I wish I was Harry Potter ! If only you could get rid of all the problems in your life with a little flick of the wand and a powerful spell ! My problem now is my room. My door says, “My room, My mess, My business !” Well, now it’s a problem. I’d declared it off limits to my mom, so the jumble ‘n confusion kept piling up with every passing day ! But as moms always do, yesterday she took a peek inside ‘n what a terrifying shriek she let out ! Now I’ve had to promise that I’ll clean up the chaos by this Clean Up Your Room Day. And with Mother’s Day so near, I can’t even wiggle out with excuses ! Well, nobody said life was fair… Megan ‘n Steve have promised to pitch in and lend a helping hand. I wonder if they are gonna clean it right or mess up more ? Of course, if they make my place livable, I must remember to send them some wonderful cards to give them my heartiest thanks !

You guys all know my mom at work Donna, don’t you ? Well, I’m used to her bossing over me at work… but this time my friend Kelly got a rap on the knuckles for a change ! I’m Kelly’s favorite guinea-pig when it comes to trying out her new dishes (Not that I mind !) and the poor girl had come over on Monday during lunch break so that I could try out her latest preparation of roast leg of lamb. I’d barely taken my first bite when I heard a booming voice behind me, “Do you know how many calories you’re pumping into yourself, young man ?” I could barely mumble an answer before she started ticking Kelly off for making me such a hog and how the poor kid (that’s me) would end up as a high BP patient ! Kelly got of the hook somehow, but I was a bit nervous. I checked up “high BP” on the net and what I found made me wish to turn a veggie for the rest of my life ! Well, I’ve got back to normal now, realizing that ‘all things in moderation’ is the best ticket to good health… but I’ve also decided to urge all my friends and family on Blood Pressure Day to go easy on their systems to live a long, healthy, happy life.

There’s a riot going on in my neighbor Mrs. Bradley’s place right at this moment ! Nah ! nothing bad… the rows of tulips are in full bloom in her garden and it’s a fantastic riot of colors all over ! It seems that all the colors of the rainbow have come down from the sky and are playing merrily on the ground at her feet ! Mrs. Bradley has a special place in her heart for the tulips. She says that they are like empty cups held up to the heavens to drink in the sunshine smiles and raindrop tears… Wow ! She’s entering her flowers for a competition on Tulip Day and we’re sure she’ll win ! Nobody tends to their flowers with so much love as she does… well, maybe with the exception of Kelly. You too spread the love on Tulip Day with our bright ‘n cheery e-cards and light up the faces of your friends and family with the colors of the rainbow !

The Ron-Kate saga continues… I haven’t told you about the Frog Jumping Day story, have I ? Well, Friday is Casual Day at our office. But around this time last year, we were in for a big surprise ! We let out a collective gasp of astonishment in the morning when we walked in only to find Kate doing aerobics in a tracksuit ! She was using Ron’s chair for support to jump and hop, and the bewildered Ron somehow croaked a question, “What on earth are you up to ?” and Kate went, “Well, it’s Frog Jumping Day tomorrow, so I’m getting a bit of practice… and since you’re looking more ‘n more like a bloated frog every day, why don’t you join me too ?” Well, you can guess what happened next. Ron huffed ‘n puffed and chased Kate all round the office (without much success at catching her) and we had a hearty laugh ! And if Kate’s idea was to get Ron to have some exercise, she got her way anyway ! So get some laughs yourself ‘n spread the merriment on Frog Jumping Day. Our hippity hoppity hilarious cards are always there to lend you a helping hand !

When I was little, we often went over to my Uncle’s ranch in Texas during the vacations. It’s a pity that he has now sold it and moved to the city; but those are memories I’ll cherish for ever ! It was an awesome experience every time ! I loved the birds, the animals, the dirty but happy farmhands, and the songs ‘n stories around the campfire… but what I remember most are the butterflies. Hundreds of them taking wing and flying in colorful formation at sunset is a sight that I can never ever forget ! My uncle used to tell me how they were born as caterpillars but later got magically transformed into butterflies… how some of them could cross miles of ocean on those delicate wings… and my respect for the little fluttering creatures increased day by day. This Butterfly Day, I’m going to send all my friends a ‘butterfly wish’ – that they may have a colorful life filled with vigor ‘n happiness… a lesson of living learnt from the humble little butterfly !

The geeky-Steve hits the keys only to find the satellite sites and extra-terrestrial beings. But these days, I notice, he hooks on to the net so often and I wonder aloud… what the heck ? Only to find him chatting to glory with a girl from cyberspace, who he says made her way through the maze of wires and bytes into his heart ! Virtual love, no telepathy it is… but a fact and it is nice. Yes, it is, to see Steve smile, his bunny-tooth smile, and let us know that his heart is where she is ! “All the best,” I told him and hit the keys with a smile ! Of course, you too visit and pick the cards to let your loved ones know how special they are on International Online Romance Week.

Peace,

Bob
Editor, 123Greetings
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