Minnesota woman uses handmade cards to help friends through tough times


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Phone calls and emails are nice, but to Mary Jane Steinhagen, nothing beats a card with a handwritten message.
For the last 25 years, the Richfield, Minnesota, resident has made her own cards and sent them out to people in need of an uplifting message, to show that there's someone thinking of them. Steinhagen got the idea in 1997, after she mailed a member of her Bible study a card following the death of her husband. A few months later, the woman told Steinhagen that she was so moved by the card, which arrived at a time when she needed compassion the most.
Now, Steinhagen sends out about 20 to 25 cards every month. In 2019, she mailed the first of several cards to friend Dan Rode, following the death of his wife Therese. Every card she sent featured an image of a dogwood tree, Therese's favorite, and usually contained a poem about grief and recovery. "First of all, it was a surprise," Rode told the Star Tribune. "Second of all, it was someone saying we care about you. It meant something."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's not a one-way street — when Steinhagen was diagnosed with breast cancer, her circle began sending encouraging cards to her. She's now undergoing chemotherapy and is "doing very, very well," she told the Star Tribune. Steinhagen appreciates all the love being mailed her way, with some people even sending her cards she gave them previously. "What goes around comes around," she said.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published