The Power of the Thank You note.

In the past few weeks, I have been the lucky recipient of several thank you notes.

It's strange to have received so many in such a short time, as they are usually few and far between, but they really made me stop and think about the effect they had.

Each and every one of them made me feel good about myself, not just because of the words, but because of the gesture made by the sender. And they made me realize, once again, how powerful a simple note can be.

Don't get me wrong - I am a firm believer in any expression of gratitude. A telephone call. An email. A hostess gift. A hug. They all work for me. And I use any and all these methods on a regular basis.

But when a person takes the time to choose a card, think of and write a personal note in their own handwriting, dedicate a stamp and trek to a mailbox, it's a pretty big deal these days.

The funny thing about thank you notes is this: often what I am being thanked for was just as enjoyable for me. Whether it was a dinner party, a weekend at the cottage, help with a special project, or an unbelievable hooking workshop (for which I have received a multitude of amazing thank you's), I know that I could just as easily be the "sender" as the "receiver".

For me, these event-based notes are even more special than the "gift" kind. With gifts they are expected (though sadly, I feel they aren't always sent). So I save these cards and keep them in a special box. I sometimes find myself re-reading them if I come across the box they are in. And they make me feel special all over again - which is a pretty powerful thing. They also remind me to keep sending special cards with special messages more often.

Some people think that I send notes for everything. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. But thanks very much for reading my blog.