Thursday, June 12, 2014

An Old Fashioned Thank You




Call me old fashion, but I still believe in writing thank you notes. I will often write a little note and slip it in the mail for small things done by friends, for gifts received, or just to let someone know I am grateful for their presence in my life.

As technology plays a bigger role in our lives, many thank you notes are now sent by email, text, or private message, and I have been known to send a thank you note or two that way too, but for me, there is something very special about taking the time and effort to write a note, find a stamp and actually get it in the mail.

We have a pretty wonderful forest across the road from where we live. It is owned by our neighbours who live up the road from us. When they moved in about 12 years ago they cut trails through the woods and welcomed us to use the trails as much as we liked. We feel very blessed to have access to the woods so easily. This past winter was harsh, and with the ice storms, many trees came down. As we made our way back to the trails in the spring we found ourselves having to climb over or crawl under fallen trees as we walked through the woods. Last week on one of our morning nature walks all the trees had been cleared and the trails have been freshly mowed. You can imagine how wonderful this was, and definitely filled us with gratitude.

On Tuesday, Reece and I decided to share our gratitude with our neighbours. We spent the morning baking, painting and collecting wild flowers, packaged it all up, wrote a little thank you and then took a walk up the road. When you live in the country, you don't often have people knock on your front door, so we surprised them, and they loved it. We chatted with them for a bit, shared a little about the adventures we have in their woods and then started the walk back home. As we walked down their driveway, hand in hand, both Reece and I smiled at each other, happy to have expressed and shared our gratitude.

Sharing a thank you note is something I will always do, it is a simple gesture that says so much, and I do hope Reece feels the same way as he grows and shares in these experiences with me.

Do you write thank you notes?

29 comments:

  1. I do write them! Not as often as I should though. I really want to get back on track of mailing out snail mail too. There is something so uplifting about receiving a hand written note!

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    1. I totally agree, receiving a handwritten note is very special. I have gotten back into the habit this year of a sending a weekly note to someone special in the mail and I am really enjoying it.

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  2. You brought tears to my eyes, I wish you were my neighbour :-) How lovely. And yes on occasion I like to handwrite a note or make a gift for someone too. xx

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  3. I love this Kim and am so happy knowing Reece will have a thoughtful skill to carry with him through life. I learned the other day that handwriting is not being taught in schools here, but how to use a keyboard is; what? Makes me a little sad that the art of handwriting is becoming lost.
    Your neighbors are so blessed to have you as a neighbor.

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    1. Thank you Tracey.

      I have heard that about school up here too, but not sure how true it is. It makes me sad too. Hoping to keep that art alive in our home :)

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  4. Oh, Kim! This is something that is so important to me - being grateful for all that we have and learning to express that gratitude! You have done it so beautifully! What a wonderful life lesson for Reece.

    This is one of my favorite quotes: Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. (Margaret Cousins)

    You not only put it into words but also into action! Thank you for sharing this bit of your days.

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    1. Thank you Jodie. I love that quote, so perfect for today. Always happy to share. xo

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  5. This really moved me. What a great value for Reece to learn and how lovely for your neighbours. I'm sure you made their day!

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    1. Thank you Ami. We actually just saw our neighbours when we were out for our walk and they expressed their appreciation again for our expression of gratitude :)

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  6. Me too, I think a hand written thank you note is very meaningful! And putting together a little thank you package of cookies, flowers, and a painting? Well, what could be better?!

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    1. I am thinking not much could be better :)

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  7. what wonderful neighbors you have! and what wonderful neighbors you are!!

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  8. I couldn't agree more! I love to write and receive cards (thank you's or any written card) ;) I'm sure they were equally grateful for those beautiful gifts (I love his painting!) as you were for all of their hard work on the trails!

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    1. Me too! We are all about happy mail days here :) Thank you, apparently our neighbours like it too, when saw them on our walk this evening they said it is hanging on their fridge :)

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  9. This is so wonderful. I really miss the old ways. I miss receiving letters and phone calls. I'm so glad you still send them. I'm not sure why collectively we have lost that tradition. What happened to our manners?

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    1. Thanks KC! I think in this age of fast and quick technology we have lost that human connection in more ways than one. I see it everyday, and it makes me quite sad.

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  10. And what an important lesson to show to Reece. He's going to grow up so full of empathy and kindness for not only the natural world around him but for the people and things in it.

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  11. Can l be your neighbour? :)
    I don't write thank you notes, but l should....and l want to start. Thanks for the inspiration. xx

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    1. I would love that Chrisy :) Happy to inspire. xo

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  12. Sometimes a heartfelt gift is the best gift, I think it's so nice you thanked them in person and with treats!! We should all be thankful and show it :)

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  13. We do write them, but not as often as we should. Too often it's easy to not get round to it. But when we do we love to put something else in too, your cookies and flowers were a lovely touch. One of our favourite things is a little clay heart with 'Thank you' stamped into it before it hardens.

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    1. I love the clay heart with the thank you stamped into it...might have to use that one :)

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  14. Lovely neighbors and what a beautiful thing you did too. xxoo

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    1. They certainly are, we are pretty darn lucky. xo

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  15. A sweet way to say thank you. We've been known to write a few thank you notes, but not nearly as many as we should. Be well.

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