My hubby works for the P.O, and it seems as though 90% of the mail we get is from the .......U.S Postal Service. Thier own best customer, and scrap the rest. I heard of a card that was found in/or under a machine some 20 something years after it was sent, so I guess your card was returned to you pretty 'quickly'. I'm unsure if the recipient was even still alive.