Retirement messages that celebrate a whole career, not just the last job

A retirement card is different from a farewell card. When someone leaves for a new job, you're marking a transition. When someone retires, you're marking an ending — and that deserves a different kind of writing.

The best retirement messages acknowledge scale. Thirty years is a long time. Even if you've only known the person for three, you can write about what those three years showed you about who they are — and let that stand for the whole career. "In three years I've seen you mentor five people who all credit you with where they are now" honors a career without needing to summarize it.

What to avoid: making it about you, making it about the company, or writing a message that would work equally well as a farewell-for-a-new-job card. This is a once-in-a-career moment. Write like it is.