the power of a thank you

I was on Facebook the other day and as I checked my friend Adam's profile I noticed he had written a new note. He is an awesome writer and I always enjoy reading his notes. He usually posts them on his blog as well but the one I want to talk about isn't on there, unfortunately.

It is about hand-written notes. Here is an exert from it:

The hand-written thank you note can be used not only for occasions like post-interview follow-ups but in personal lives as well. Test this on yourself. Imagine yourself looking through the mail (physical mail, not your e-mail). You have a stack of envelopes; you can probably assume that 65% will be advertisements and promotions that will be trashed immediately, 30% may be bills or other important documents or reminders, and if you’re lucky you may get the occasional postcard from a relative who is visiting Germany. Whenever you get postcards or even typed notes sent via snail mail, it almost feels like a holiday and will more than likely make you smile knowing that that person took the time to do that. The truth is that in this digital day in age, we are sending most all of our personal greetings electronically due to convenience, speed, and cost saving. Of course, why spend nearly 50 cents on a message that will take a day or two to arrive when we can send that same message instantly for free? Hence, the hand-written letter, which was once very practical in worldwide culture, has become obsolete. It essentially has become a lost art.
~ Adam Peter Shinn

This is so sad and so true...the art of hand-written letters is disappearing fast. I was lucky and my parents raised me well because I learned that after receiving a gift, it is appreciated by the giver to receive a thank you note. So after every birthday and Christmas, thank you notes are hand written and mailed to the giver. At this point, I feel like they are almost expected now around these occasions but just recently I was able to witness first hand what a hand-written thank you card can really do. It shows your profound appreciation as well as makes the givers day a little brighter.

After going to Utah, I was going to send Elizabeth's mom a thank you card for allowing me to take such an amazing trip. Since she was coming to Raleigh only a few days after we arrived back in Raleigh, I decided to just hand it to her personally. Her reaction made me realize that I want to make sure to never forget to write a hand written note every once in a while. She was so shocked, surprised and appreciative for the note. She told me it was one of the nicest things someone has done for her in a long time and never expected it. Whether she meant it or not, the fact that she really expressed her appreciation made me feel good inside. It made me remember why I write these letters in the first place.

So next time you want to send a quick email to catch up with an old friend, how about a hand-written note instead? Just an idea...it could brighten someone's day.