Enduring Messages and Connections

By Elisabeth Rybak

There’s something special about receiving a postcard. Unlike an email or a fleeting message on a screen, a postcard is tangible, a real thing you can hold in your hands. It carries the weight of distance, of thoughtfulness, of time taken to write, send, and arrive. That’s why I’m so delighted to see the launch of POSTCARDS from CANADA, a newsletter that promises to deliver something lasting: stories that capture the soul of this country, its values, and its people.

During the pandemic, I found myself drawn to postcards. In a time of isolation, these small, deliberate messages became a way to connect across closed borders and vast distances. I sent postcards, I received them, and in doing so, I discovered something simple but profound: no matter where we are in the world, we are tied together by our love of family, of nature, of books and music. These are the things that endure, even in times of uncertainty.

I began sending postcards to friends and strangers alike, joining international postcard exchanges where I would receive handwritten notes from people in places I’d never been. Sometimes the messages were long, sometimes just a line or two, but they all had something in common: they were deeply human.

A woman in Italy sent me a postcard of a vineyard near her home, telling me that her grandfather had tended vines there all his life. A retired teacher in Belarus sent a postcard with a picture of his hometown and wrote about his fear for the future of his country. And I, in turn, sent postcards of Canada, of our beautiful ocean shores, of lighthouses standing through ages to bring sailors home, of small towns where the seasons shape life as much as history does.

Writing those postcards made me think about what it means to send a message from Canada, to represent this country in just a few sentences. What do I say? That we are a people who love the land? That we cherish peace? That, despite all our flaws and struggles, we believe in fairness and in looking out for one another? Every postcard became a moment of reflection, a way to capture not just a place, but a feeling, a little piece of Canada sent out into the world.

Now, as tensions rise globally and misinformation threatens to distort our understanding of each other, I find myself returning to postcards once more. Because a postcard is not an algorithm, nor a divisive headline. It is a message from one person to another, a small act of connection and understanding. And when that postcard comes from Canada, one of the world’s largest, most peaceful nations, it carries something even more important: a reminder of what is possible when a country values democracy, kindness, and truth.

Barack Obama once said, “The world needs more Canada.”

Perhaps now, more than ever, that is true. A postcard, whether handwritten and mailed or delivered in the form of this new newsletter, is a way to share that Canada with the world. To remind people of the things we hold dear, of the values we live by, and of the deep beauty, both physical and moral, that defines this country.

So here’s to Postcards from Canada. May it serve as a steady hand-written note in a world too often overwhelmed by noise. May it remind us of the power of real connection. And may it always deliver, no matter the distance.

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Elisabeth Rybak publishes A Letter from a Maritimer, one of the most thoughtful newsletters on Substack addressing democracy and Canada’s place in the world. She is a retired entrepreneur and former tech CEO, with a career spanning leadership in technology commercialization, governance, and international business strategy. As the former Provincial Chair for the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, Director of Atlantic Maple Leaf and former Honorary Colonel of Canada’s oldest cavalry regiment, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s), she is a proud advocate for Canada’s military and a strong supporter of national sovereignty.