Rinehardt Law - December 2019

Rinehardt Law - December 2019

SMALL TOWN VALUES BIG CITY RESULTS Rinehardt Law | www.rinehardtlawfirm.com | 419-LAW-2020

DECEMBER 2019

WE’RE THINKING OF YOU The Meaning Behind a Card

Over the years, we’ve found the cards to be as meaningful to write as they’ve been to read. Hearing someone say, “You’re the only person who sent me a card,” makes you realize how powerful and important this small act is. The act of writing to someone sends a clear message: I’m thinking of you. In an age where we have a million options for communicating, there’s something special about getting a card in the mail. When life gets busy, or when geography spreads your family states apart, a card can be a way to stay connected. Sure, we can send a text or email, but I think there’s a lot to be said for sitting down and handwriting a message. It forces you to slow down and think about the person you’re writing to. For those who don’t have the finances or the physical means to be with their loved ones, cards are another way to stay connected. Maybe you can’t travel to be with your family, but sending a card is a way to foster a connection. More than anything, during this time of year, I want to connect with the people I care about, be it in person, over the phone, or in a letter. Those connections are what get us all by.

When our kids were growing up, Hillary didn’t just write holiday cards; she wrote holiday poems. She loved working on them, and she’s a gifted writer. The poems contained humor and wit. She would get her parents, me, and the kids in on it so that each poem incorporated how things were going and what each child was up to that year. I loved seeing how much fun she had putting the poems together. She did this all the way up to the time when the kids were graduating, and she still sometimes puts together a poem for birthday cards. We’ve continued the tradition of mailing holiday cards from our firm. Around the holidays, we all sit down at a big table in our office and write cards to our clients and colleagues. Afterward, we usually go out for a holiday lunch. It’s become a tradition that everyone on our team looks forward to.

Around Christmas when I was a kid, my family would write cards to our friends and loved ones. As we sat down to write these cards, we paused for a moment to think about these important people in our lives, some of whom we didn’t see very often but were close to our hearts nonetheless. I enjoyed the tradition, and I also liked seeing the cards that came to us. Leading up to Christmas, I eagerly waited for mail that contained stories from our friends and family and gave us a glimpse into their lives. Even as an adult, my excitement over holiday cards hasn’t diminished. Each year, Hillary and I sit down and look over the cards we’ve received. We smile over a friend’s new baby, laugh at our family’s comical spin on a Christmas photo, and feel sentimental over a heartfelt message. We’re invited to take a peek into the lives of our loved ones, even if just for a moment.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you.

–John Rinehardt

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HORSING AROUND Meet a Different Kind of Therapy Animal Horses have been loyal and useful companions to humans for centuries. But unbeknownst to many who fear these long-legged, 1,000-plus-pound mammals, horses are also naturally intuitive and extremely sensitive to the moods of people around them. These traits make them excellent therapy animals for those with autism, cerebral palsy, chronic illnesses, and PTSD, among many more. In fact, there are dedicated horse-riding camps geared toward chronically ill children and adults all over the world. However, riding horses isn’t the only way to benefit from equine therapy; horses are also fantastic comfort animals that can relieve anxiety and promote a positive environment for bedridden patients — as long as the doorway is big enough. Meet Peyo, the 14-year-old “love stallion” from Dijon, France, who is cheering up chronically ill patients one nuzzle at a time. This accomplished artistic dressage competitor accompanies his owner, Hassen Bouchakour, on visits to hospitals and nursing homes, bringing joy with every clop of his hooves. Patients suffering from all manner of ailments blossom when Peyo comes to visit, laughing and smiling while being nudged by his soft nose. He seems to have a keen sense for patients who are truly suffering, and though his handler is always nearby, Peyo often chooses which rooms to enter of his own volition. Having a horse in a hospital room may not sound very sanitary, but Peyo goes through a strict grooming regimen to be deemed hygienic enough to be around patients. His hooves are greased, his mane and tail are braided, and his entire body is rubbed down with antibacterial lotion before being covered by a blanket. Before Peyo became a therapy horse, he was almost put up for sale by Bouchakour, who had a hard time wrangling Peyo’s fiery personality. But, over time, when they traveled to shows and competitions together, Bouchakour noticed the horse was drawn to the injured and disabled and would instantly calm at their touch. “It is one of the most pure, honest, and sweet things,” Bouchakour says. “They like each other very much without asking for anything else.”

ARE WE STILL SENDING? The Popularity of Holiday Cards

EMPLOYEE SPOT Carrie is a case manager at Rinehardt Law, a role

that utilizes her caring and supportive nature. Before joining our team, Carrie worked at Pepsi for 14 years. Her life changed when her daughter was diagnosed with autism. As Carrie shares, “I wanted to cut back on my hours but that wasn’t possible in my role. My husband and I made the scary decision for me to be a stay-at-home mom. It was the best thing that could have happened to us.” Carrie got to be there for her two kids and better care for her daughter, Raegan.

Photo curtesy of Les Sabots Du Coeur

Her plan was to return to work when her youngest was in kindergarten, but a friend told her about a position at Rinehardt Law. “I heard that they were the best employers who cared about family and treated their employees well,”

2 Rinehardt Law | www.rinehardtlawfirm.com

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole fretted over all the correspondence he had neglected over the course of the year. As the holidays drew closer, hoping to pardon any hurt feelings and adhere to Victorian custom, he had an artist create 1,000 engraved holiday cards, which he promptly sent out to friends. Years later, Louis Prang, a German immigrant and lithographer, made the tradition popular in the United States with his high-quality prints of holiday cards, earning him the nickname “The Father of the American Christmas Card.” Today, with the ability to send a message almost immediately, you’d think that the old-fashioned tradition would be on the decline. But it looks like just the opposite is happening. Even though the overall volume of mail has gone down, Americans still buy 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, and 1.6 billion of those are family holiday cards, according to the Greeting Card Association. People, it seems, are still fans of holiday cards. Shutterfly’s Google >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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