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A birthday card exchanged between brothers Joe and Laurie Boguski in 1972 has become a treasured North Vancouver family tradition. The continually expanded card, now 26 pages long, has traveled to six countries and four continents and been delivered more than 168 times, with the family carefully tracking its journey and adding new pages as needed.
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. — Before the greeting card from 1972 earned the title “The Card,” it was just a card that Joe Boguski got from his brother Laurie.
“He hates shopping for birthday cards,” Joe says. So, Laurie was certainly pleased to find a card that had a message on the front cover that said, “Here’s a way we can save money on birthday cards,” and on the inside featured an invitation to play tick-tack-toe.
“And it says, ‘We just keep sending this back and forth until somebody wins,’” Joe says with a smile. So, Joe accepted the invitation and sent the card back for his brother’s birthday. But then he discovered Laurie sent the card to their mom, who sent it to their dad.
“I was disappointed because I thought was for him and me,” Joe says. “But it didn’t take long to realize this is a really good thing. ” Because since it was first sent, The Card has been mailed nonstop to celebrate their extended family’s birthdays too, despite nobody winning that tick-tack-toe game and running out of room to write on the original pages long ago.
“I seem to get The Card at the end of one of the pages that needs an addition,” Ken Boguski says. That’s when Ken will buy another card, cut the cover off, and tape the blank bits to The Card, which has grown to span 26 pages.
“I never dreamt it would go to so many people,” their sister Mary Ann Purvis says. Mary Ann shows CTV News a spreadsheet that keeps track of The Card, which has been mailed to four continents and six countries, a total of more than 168 times.
“When somebody new to the family gets it, that’s the biggest welcome,” says Mary Ann. Receiving The Card can sometimes feel like being burdened with the biggest responsibility.
“If somebody loses it, they’re dead meat,” Joe says. The Card is either delivered in-person or mailed via registered post. Because although the original card cost just 35 cents and the additional pages up to $6.99 each, touching the handwriting of people who’ve died or seeing how the card connected the oldest member of the family with the youngest baby is priceless.
“It’s just something special,” Ken says. “It’s just what we do,” Mary Ann says. “And I feel privileged to be part of this,” Joe says, smiling. That’s how a card that can no longer fit in regular envelope, but can contain a love that spans generations, became The Card.
Family Tradition Birthday Card North Vancouver Family History Keepsake
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