On Sunny Lane: Thank You Notes
Sweetheart and I got a thank you note yesterday from our great nephew and his new wife for the wedding gift we gave them six months ago.
one-twoI gave up hope of getting one two months after the wedding. I thought they were being ungrateful. It turns out extenuating circumstances accounted for the delay. I take back all of the mean things I was thinking about them.
When we send gifts to young friends and relatives on special occasions—birthdays, weddings, graduation, we look for a thank you card in the mail.
Because our gifts are usually monetary, we, first of all, want to know that they did, indeed, receive the card and check. Second of all, we want to know that they appreciate the gift. And, third of all, it’s just plain good manners.
Maybe that custom has fallen out of practice. If it has, I wonder if people are becoming lazy, or if they are ignorant of that good habit. It is certainly always heartwarming to get an acknowledgment.
Yesterday was also the day I received a text from my granddaughter, thanking me for the birthday card and gift I had sent her. It was a good day for thank yous. It gave me some hope for the younger generation.
When Sweetheart and I are made aware of a milestone in a young person’s life, we put much time and thought into how we will respond. We want to be sure the gift we give comes from our heart and their need and not, necessarily, from our pocketbook.
Now it is the gift-giving time of the year and we have several friends and family we want to give presents to. For some, it represents a little thank you for the things they have done for us throughout the year. For others, it’s just a thank you for being a friend. But, it always comes from the heart.
Cards, gifts texts are all ways of showing appreciation. And we all—every one of us—want to be appreciated for what we do, what we give, and who we are.
I wonder if God wants to be appreciated, too, for the gifts He/She has given us.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or make a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com.