Thank People

I don’t mean traditional thank you notes (although that is a good thing too). I’m talking about letting someone else know they have touched your life – it can be something small (like working together on a committee at your kids’ school) or the ways in which someone has shaped and affected your life.

Years ago I received a thank you note from a woman that I worked on a class party with at our elementary school. She simply said she enjoyed working with me and mentioned a couple of things I had done that she really appreciated. Although this was at least 6 or 7 years ago, I still remember getting that note and I still have it!!

When I was a young woman, I wanted to let my parents know what specific things they taught me that I appreciated, and what memories I treasured the most. I didn’t want to wait until after they were gone and put it in their eulogy. I’m not too good at saying these kinds of things face to face either. So I wrote each of them a letter and told them how I felt and thanked them for all the ways they had affected my life. I am so glad that I shared this with them personally.

Take a few moments once or twice a year to think about who you appreciate and why – and then tell them, in whatever format you are comfortable with.