Remembering to say Thank You

As far back as I can remember, I have been writing thank you cards. Aside from the expected wedding and baby gifts, there have been thank yous for birthdays, graduations, unexpected acts of kindness... anytime there has been an act of giving, I am sure to send a short note of thanks.

Credit for this complex would be due in full to my mom. She is the one who "branded" in my mind that sending a thank you card is the absolute easiest way to take an extra minute - or three - to think about the person who did the giving and express your appreciation for their generosity.

Fast-forward 30 years, and I am still writing thank yous. With two little guys running around, the generosity that is bestowed upon them will not go unrecognized. For their birthdays, holidays, whatever it may be, I have added their notes of thanks to my list. Once they are able to, they sign their own names at the bottom, or just add a little crayon scribble.

Until recently... when something changed. Well, just a little anyway. Our biggest little guy turned 5 and does an excellent job of writing. So... it was time for us to take the next step. Before I could write my own thank yous, my mom would write them for me, in pencil, and I would trace over her letters with pen.

Now that our little guy is old enough... I decided it was time to start writing his thank yous in pencil, too. Sometimes the task seems daunting to him, but at the pace of one card per day, we'll get there.

The little brother is still on "easy street"... I trace his hand and write his name and age, while he adds a little crayon autograph.

They may not like me for it now, but I can only hope that as they grow up, the kind things that people do for them do not go unnoticed. Maybe they will even be inclined to surprise someone with a small act of kindness.