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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

A Dying Art?


Is sending written thank you notes through the mail a dying art?  
Are we teaching our children the importance of reaching out, 
showing gratitude and appreciation, 
not just for receiving gifts, but for a simple, kindly gesture,
or for random acts of kindness, as well?

I encourage you to read this warm, fuzzy, and very poignant story
and I challenge you 
to find a reason 
to send at least one thank you note a week!
Not an email. Not a twitter.  Not a text.
Real mail, with a stamp and everything!

"Showing gratitude is one of the simplest 
yet most powerful things humans can do for each other."

You won't be held accountable;
there will be no random number generator issuing a prize.
Your remuneration will be intrinsic,
that warm feeling you get
and slight smile you make
when you drop that envelope into the box
and know it's on its way!


XO,
Karen

25 comments:

Paula, the quilter said...

What a lovely post. I love to send a handwritten note in the mail. It is a time to reflect on the person or event and makes the note a bit more special to the recipient.

FlourishingPalms said...

I agree that a handwritten note is an extremely thoughtful gesture, just as is a handwritten message in a Christmas card is much more valuable than a printed newsletter. However, if I begin to send thank you notes to my children, for gifts and things they've done for me, they'll interpret it as foisting guilt on them for not writing thank you notes to me! :-) But I'm in agreement about this concept... and I owe you several thank you notes!

Fiona said...

lovely... it sure is a lost art.. adn I'm afraid I'm the most guilty...
Hugz

Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge said...

I'm a big fan of the thank you note. I'm the only teacher left at my school who still writes them for Christmas and end of year gifts and I wrote one for each of the presents my kiddos received before and after their births! I hope to pass this habit on to the kiddos, even if it's only a crayon picture showing them enjoying the gift!

Sondra said...

YES!!
I'm def. a note sender, and I normally make my own as its a wonderful way to "get your art on". I also make my birthday cards too! Jan is 4 birthday card month! I love the challenge idea, and I hope others will be inspired to send out a real hand written card!

Maria said...

You are sew right Karen. I received a Thank You card only yesterday from a blogging friend in the US and i was delighted...wa sew nice ...

Carol Swift said...

In my head I have the best intentions to write notes of thanks, but for some reason I procrastinate and don't do it. This was a sweet reminder that those handwritten notes touch lives. I know I love when I get one! Maybe my word of the year should be "WRITE." Thanks for this great post!

Linda Reeder said...

I do love getting handwritten notes, and I sometimes send them. Email has replaced most of that now. I like getting thank yous via email too. Any kind of thank you seems rare anymore.

Lin said...

Well thanks for sharing that lovely story Karen. I have long been disappointed that I have never in nearly 30 years received a thank you note from any of my nieces or nephew for all the Christmas/Birthday presents. I do get an email from one of them now which I am grateful for. It is lovely to receive post and a little thank you note is always appreciated, it's just a shame that more people don't realise. xx

Simone de Klerk said...

Thank you for this post and reminder. I sent it to my children.
And funny thing is, this morning I wrote my 84 year old aunt a happy and colourful thank you card, for having been an important part in my life. Before reading your post (o:
Like minds?!

Sheila said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sheila said...

It is true that a hand written thank you is rare today and I think know we should encourage our children and grandchildren to send them , it means so much . I miss the days when I had pen pals and looked forward to seeing if I had mail although electronic mail is good too 😊

Heidi said...

Great post! Thank you for sharing the story as well, a great reminder of the impact a simple, hand-written note can make!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Professor Randy was a gem. I was so sad when he died. He was such an inspiration to so many people just in the way he lived his every day life. Thanks for this good and always timely post.

Createology said...

Your post caught my attention today. I love sending hand written notes and thank you cards. I participate in Random Acts of Mail which gets sent weekly; Love Notes postcards which happens three Sunday's a month and 4 months of the year. I always hand write my Christmas card sentiments and addresses. I feel it allows me to actually think of each recipient and I am truly grateful for each person. Sadly my grown daughter and granddaughters do not follow in my lead...it is amazing if they FB me. Thank you for honoring an old tradition I love. 2016 will be an amazing year...

KirstenNB said...

Mom, this is a great story, and is from an excerpt from Randy Pausch's book, The Last Lecture. You can find it and a short bio on him on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/hcqplck.
Also, I've just added a few sets of Thank You notes to my Etsy shop! Check them out at www.etsy.com/shop/GardeniaDrive

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen yes i am also guilty of not doing it,might have to change my way,though postage has just gone up here from 70 cents to $1 for a stamp,hope you have a lovely day Karen xx

Just Ramblin' said...

I loved the story and it reminded me how much I enjoy receiving notes in the mail, be it "thank you's" or whatever. They always seem to brighten my day. Need to make a better effort to do that myself. Sometimes, I wonder if the cost of stamps holds us back and that's why we email, etc. Or, if life is so busy, that it makes it easier and simpler. Anyway, a great reminder. Thank you. Nola

Julia D @ Jada's Quilting Adventures said...

Me and a friend use to send cards in the mail to each other every month or so. It was always such a great feeling to get a card in the mail....maybe I'll have to start that again :)

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Great post, Karen. I read the link...wow. I think I even know how to send my thank you note to you. Hoping you're enjoying yourself.

Julie Cefalu said...

Well said, Karen! There is a sweet satisfaction in sending a handwritten note and it's always a nice surprise to receive the same in your mailbox. Thanks for reminding us the value of gratitude! Julie@thecraftyquilter.com

Lesley said...

We always love to get "old-fashioned" mail, don't we! Nicely said!

Judy said...

You are so right about how wonderful a handwritten note is! That's a great idea to make it a habit to write a card weekly.

Val's Quilting Studio said...

I am a serious HAPPY MAIL person. I just taught my second graders last week how to write a letter.....and they got to MAIL one to a person of their choice.....so I'm doing my best to continue the tradition of handwritten notes:) :) (THey loved it by the way!!)

Mama Spark said...

I love receiving a well written thank you note in the mail. I think it is a dying art which is unfortunate. Maybe with the whole technology thing taking over our lives folks think and electronic TY is the way to go. I sure hope not.