Thank you notes. Write them. Make your children write them. I know, it's no fun being a nag. For years, I have made my daughter sit down and take the time to write a simple note to people that have given her gifts, helped her, employed her, etc. Up until a year ago, I always had to remind, prod, cajole - "please, send (insert person here) a thank you note - they were so generous with you, it's kind to let them know you appreciated it." Even though some of the Christmas thank you notes went out in April, they still went out! This year has been a nuclear fall-out in my house for the holidays. Moving boxes everywhere, pictures off the walls, her stuff home from school, her packing up stuff to get rid of for my move. House a'la refugee camp Zulla. That's us.
She wrote her thank you notes without a reminder from me. They sat on the kitchen table - un-addressed - until she left for school on Monday. "Mommy? Will you mail these for me, I never got to it..." Of course I would. I took them to the office and started to address envelopes for them. I read the one she wrote to my Dad - who has helped her pay for college and went in on an iPad with me for her Christmas gift. Along with the thank you for the iPad, was this:
"you should come up to Athens with my mom some weekend and see the campus of OU so you can see the school you are helping me to get through, you would like it."
My eyes filled with tears. I didn't tell her to write that. She gets it. All those years of nagging about the thank you notes paid off. She has mastered the art of gratitude. It's a tough one; but so worth learning. I know that her life will be full of joy. When you give...you receive back so much more than you ever dreamed. An amazing circle.
No comments:
Post a Comment