A letter of thanks

Any friend of mine will tell you that I’m a horrible Thank You card sender.  I try really hard, but when’s the last time you received a card from me?  I may even reflect on one that I never sent off for years, which leads me to ask the question, Why don’t I ever send them anymore?  I’d love to blame my mom (she was never great at it either), but that’s a pitiful excuse.  I’m pretty unorganized so that never helps.  I hate to think anyone takes it personally, but I’m sure they have.   I guess mostly I want my loved ones to know how much I appreciate the things they do for me.

After all, I LOVE getting cards and letters!  The other day,  I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter in the mail from my Granny who definitely has that card sending gene, even if she didn’t pass it on.

I still get letters from her with newspaper and magazine clippings about various things – everything from community happenings to autism to recipes (the gene that I definitely got from her was a love of food, recipes, and shell collecting and I still remember all those long walks on the beach, Granny)!  She puts little letters in there too, of course.  Recently, she sent me one with a worn folded letter inside.  It was a thankyou note from many years ago.

What’s this?!  It was from ME!?

It was a thankyou letter I wrote when I was probably about 8 years old or so.  Granny had given me a porcelain doll with jet black hair and a blue dress.  I think she may actually still be up in the attic somewhere at my parents house, although she’s probably not looking so beautiful now.  This tempts me to go looking for her this summer when I stay with mom and dad.  But what it really tempts me to do is write more letters like this.

When I think about all the people who I never thanked over the years, it makes me sad.  All this time for almost every day of my life, someone made my life better with their gifts, help, words, or just even seeing their smile.

So my new personal goal is to make sure I let my loved ones know how much I appreciate them.  I want to be that great card sender that I was once upon a time when I could write a full-page letter about a doll named November.  By God I will!!  I can’t make up for a past of never sending off cards or expressing my thanks, but hopefully it’s never too late to start!

So for now, let this post be my thank you  to you all.  THANK YOU so much for all you’ve done and still do!!!  I guess this means now I have to start buying stamps and getting those cards out, huh?.

And I love you so much, Granny:)