Not a Hallmark Moment
You can buy a card for pretty much anything---any possible event or emotion. From having a baby to having a hysterectomy, Hallmark has something to hit the spot.
Today marks a hallmark in my life so by rights it should be a Hallmark day. But I don't think I'd find a suitable card I could have sent to my ex-husband.
Today was our anniversary.
Although Hollywood has some fractured but friendly couples like Demi and Bruce, Hallmark might not yet recognize the marketing appeal.
If they want to consult an expert, I could easily invent my own card for the occasion (you'll have to imagine appropriate artwork)
Outside: Happy Anniversary to us
Inside: Happy April Fools Day too
or
Outside: And they said it wouldn't last.....
Inside: It didn't.
You get the idea.
Like every bride on her wedding day, I truly believed I was having the ultimate Hallmark moment as I said my vows 31 years ago today.
Actually I sobbed my vows--and never pronounced the words "I do." In the early years, my former husband and I used to joke that maybe our wedding wasn't really legal.
We got divorced 14 years and 2 children later. And despite that, we were lucky compared to many couples. We put the children first. We still speak. We're still friends.
And I would send a card today if Hallmark made one for ex-married couples. In fact I think they should.
And here's my take on what it could say:
Outside: Today is not our anniversary anymore, but we still have something to celebrate.
Inside: (No words--just a slot to insert a photo of our kids)
P.S. Note to Hallmark: feel free to steal this idea. I'd still buy the card.
This is an original post for 50-Something Moms blog. When she's not designing Hallmark cards, Darryle Pollack is usually Cluttercasting on her new blog, Cluttercast, or blogging at I never signed up for this.
