My mother tried with all her motherly might to get me to write thank you notes with no success. Unless she was hovering over me they just did not get done. She would remind me, nag me, pester me, and throw a box of silver embossed notes with envelopes my way. I would politely take them and shove them in a drawer. I was very grateful for whatever gift I may have received. I was thankful. What I was not sure of was how to say thank you. Simply saying ‘thank you for the gift’ did not seem sincere enough. It also seemed that those five words just did not fill up enough of that white space in the cards. I loathed the task and ignored it altogether. I should have listened to my mother. I thank my father for teaching me to quietly fight on for what I desire and believe.
I am still figuring out how to make myself do the task. One trick I have learned is to not spend the money or use the gift until the note has been written. This is easier if it is cash or a gift card. It is more difficult if the gift is a new toy, article of clothing or something immediately useful. You know you have to play with the new toy right away.
If you do not know the power of a handwritten thank you note then you have never seen a person that has received one offer a delightful thank you in return. And yes, handwritten is very important. This is especially true in these days of quick text messages and E-mails. To actually take the time to take pen to paper, people notice that type of stuff. Recently I have made a point to always have thank you notes on hand so I have no excuse. Stamps are another issue. That means a trip to the post office, but once they are stamped I hand them over and boom.
I have a lot of thank yous that I have failed to write. So here it goes.
I thank you readers. I do not know who you are but I get wind of you enjoying my combinations of words every two weeks. I am humbly honored that you do so. Thanks for your eyes and your time.
I thank my Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Warren who make sure I get something for Christmas every year. I thank my cousin Tammie and her husband Eddie that do the same. And around the corner they send birthday wishes my way too. Do you think I can remember to do the same so diligently? If I can get a happy holidays note out you would think I would have just climbed Mt. Everest. Ugh, I am horrible.
I thank Rina for giving me free rein to find myself with these words for each edition. It was a little rocky at first but I think we have found a great stride. I have expanded my being a lot because of this paper.
I thank the Life In Lansing crew – Marcus, Mark, Nick & Pete – for bringing back Time Slot. Wow, what a great start we have made and I am hoping we can make great web magic for a long time to come.
Roger, the guy that taught me video, a special thank you. You helped me with all things video in ways that have forever changed my life. A whole heck of a lot of people went through the set of Time Slot, but underneath it all you were very instrumental in keeping me from completely losing it. Allan, Brandon, Nicky, Kevin, Mike E, Ken D., Grandma Dunckel and a hundred more names.
I thank all my bosses for putting up with my weirdness. I know I am a challenge but I need you to know that I am working on that.
To my old friends that stay in contact with me through the years, I cite the phone article for a point of reference. I am a horrible friend but I do think of you. It is difficult for me to get beyond myself to actually make a call. Chances are I will be at Soup to Nutz Bistro eating Eggs Benedict on Sunday morning if you would like to run into me.
To my new friends, whoa, you all have been amazing. I mean, to accept me with all my years of weirdness says more about you than it does me.
To my patient proofreader editor, Cathy, thanks for making me look good in print and for putting up with my impatient moodiness. Thank you for challenging me when I am being lazy. Your job is difficult. I cannot do what you do.
To Mom Hurlburt, you took me in like one of your own. Dang, I need to call you. I guess I should really visit. It has been too long.
To my brother, Samory, you made us family. You have helped guide me through practically everything that life has thrown at me in the last decade. You truly hear me. Now I am a godfather. If you leave him with me you might have to fight to get him back. I am not threatening. I am just sayin’…
To my special lady friend of almost two years, wow, you must be crazy to deal with all that is Melik. Seriously, you are so supportive even if you do not understand what is really going on. Thank you for having patience. Thank you for asking questions before making decisions. Wubu.
If you made it through all of this you must know that I have realized there are many more people I need to thank. Maybe this sparks thoughts of those you might want to thank.
Melik / me2upro.com
