It's One Of My "Things"

I'm making a blanket statement here when I say that it seems we all have little things that bug us about people in general. One of those things for me is the lack of courtesy that many people today seem to have when it comes to taking the time to sit down and hand write a thank you note. It's as if this whole e-mail/cell phone/Ipod era has caused us to think that we are too tech savvy to do something that actually involves writing . . . by hand . . . with an actual pen and paper.

I grew up in a home where hand written thank you notes were mandatory fare for any gift given. Something about that upbringing has caused in me this excitement to sit down with a great card and tell someone how I feel about them and the nice thing they have done for me. I love to write thank you notes! (Weird, I know. ) People may not love to write thank you notes, but I don't know many people who don't like to get thank you notes. They make people feel really, really good.

I keep some thank you notes if they are especially meaningful to a time in my life. I was actually looking at some the other day and found a thank you note that was written to me by my friend Alicia. Her father was killed in a horrible car accident and this note was written in reaction to some things I was able to do for her in the time directly surrounding the tragedy. Reading it brought tears to my eyes again - the feelings and emotions she shared were so true and sincere. It is a priceless treasure to me and a written record of why our friendship will endure through the years.

So, today I am issuing a challenge to all of my readers. Please get off the computer right now and go write a thank you note to somebody - somebody who gave you a Christmas present, somebody who needs some cheering up, somebody who said something great in a talk at church that moved you, somebody who helped you with a project, or even somebody who lives in your house and makes a difference in your life! You'll be glad you did it.

Enjoy the picture above - a great handmade and handwritten thank you note to me from my ultra talented momma! Here are a few tips from The Emily Post Organization on thank you note writing:


Be sincere and write promptly.
Write from the heart.
Use expressions that are natural to you.
Keep it brief and to the point.
Don't forget to include the date.
Do your best to write legibly.
Include a "How are you?"
In thank-you notes, be appreciative and …
… say something specific about the gift.
Above all, be gracious.