60 Years

A new customer asked me to create a customised card for her very special sister who was celebrating her 60th birthday. Her sister, she told me, was born in London and made aliyah (in Hebrew "ascent" or "going up"; the immigration of Jews to Israel) where she joined a kibbutz near Eilat, the resort city on the southernmost tip of Israel. She is now the regional librarian for the Eilot region, where she encourages reading and teaches the information sciences in the library. According to her sister, the birthday girl puts her heart and soul into all her enterprises. She wants library books to be read and, to achieve this, has put on drama presentations at library conferences, in other kibbutzim, and at regional council activities, on one occasion dressing up as a cook and, another time, pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II. She encourages the kids to find information and to appreciate books in all spheres - both fiction and reference. As her sister puts it, "She's on a mission..."

Books clearly had to feature predominantly on the birthday card. I have shown the birthday girl surrounded by books, with desert hills, a palm tree and a big crescent shaped moon - the logo of her Kibbutz - in the background. A Union Jack and the flag of Israel, representing her place of birth and the country which she has adopted as her own, are gently waving in the breeze.

When my customer received this card amongst a selection of others, she wrote to tell me that she thought it "brilliant." "Thank you, Lisa, so much." she wrote, "It's perfect. One very satisfied customer." She later told me that her sister "LOVED LOVED LOVED the card."
I like a happy customer.

There is less of a tale behind these cards, but hopefully they were appreciated just the same. Another customer asked me to create something pretty for a good friend, and a special 60th birthday card for her daughter-in-law. Flowers and presents always fit the bill.