Monday, September 1, 2008

Saying Thank You--Sending a note!

I love a beautiful thank you note.

It doesn't have to be extravagant or showy, just a simple note to tell someone you appreciated what they did or how they did it. It only takes a few minutes but it can mean the world to someone else.

I used to be really good about writing notes to people. I would think about who I thought needed a note and sometimes even pray about it to see who might could use a pick me up or need some words of encouragement. I've sent lots of notes through the mail and I am always surprised when people tell me how much they mean to them. I will tell you a story as an example. I don't tell you this to boast that I sent this note, it is only an example of what can result from a simple note. I did not find out the meaning of this note to this lady until years later.

We had just had the Primary Program in our church and I wanted to tell the Primary President what a good job she did. I had always heard that she was a good president, which most of the time is a heroic task! So, I sent her a note telling her what a good job she does and how much I appreciated it. At the time I sent the note, this sister was having many doubts about herself and the job she was doing as Primary President. She was feeling woefully inadequate for the job and was sad and frustrated. When she got my note, she started to believe that she really was good at this calling. It helped build her confidence and give her the boost she needed to pick herself up and continue on to another Sunday in Primary. She said that because I believed in her, she did too.

Like I said, I had no idea that this had an effect on her until years later when she mentioned it in a Relief Society lesson and I was so surprised that my silly little note had such an impact.

So, tell people you love them, appreciate them, and recognize their talents and time spent in doing things...it may be the only good thing they hear that day and may change their course.


Like I said earlier, it does not have to be extravagant, these cards are some that I picked up at Sam's for $6.99 and they sit on my desk/craft table. I love the colors, I am a pink and chocolate brown fan! And these are lovely and simple enough to send "as is" or to embellish with a cute flower or accessory glued on. And there is probably 40 cards in this little box, so its an economic choice!

So, send a THANK YOU to someone who deserves it or someone who might need it! Someday, that person who needs it might be YOU and then you will be glad to get that note!
If the person you need to thank is no longer with us, then thank them in your journal or write them a card and send it to relative as a keepsake. If you have someone you want to thank who isn't with us on this Earth anymore, please say thank you with this post and make a comment about what you would say thank you to them for.

My lovely Grandmothers are no longer with us here on this Earth but they are with us in SPIRIT and memories. I would like to say THANKS to both of them...

To my dear sweet Manna, thank you for your strength and courage. You are one of the most courageous and bold people I have ever known (and yet she was a tiny waif of a thing) and I love that you taught us so many lessons while we thought we were just having fun. Thank you for teaching me how to sew, it has been an outlet for creativity and a way for me to feel close to you when I do it.

To my happy and exuberant Maw Maw, thanks for teaching me that laughing is the best medicine and that family is the most important thing in life. Thank you for teaching me how to paint, it opened my eyes to new things and started me on my path to other artistic endeavors. And thank you for the recipe to your monster cookies!

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Beautiful Basics

Life is about a journey, and you are the only one who can make yours... So, embrace life: the good, the bad, and the ugly...it is the only one you've got.

Here's to being Beautiful, inside and out!