The Thank You Letter

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Firstborn’s birthday was last week and he asked me to bake a cheesecake for him.  Along with the made-from-scratch cheesecake, I wrote him a thank you letter. I’ve depended on him for so much in the past few months and although I still have to remind him to take out the trash, he’s been my right hand and my brain. While walking by his room, I noticed the letter was hanging up. I laughed and told him to take it down, and his reply was, “No! I love that letter. It almost made me cry.” Wow, really? It was a letter from my heart, but I had no idea it would mean so much to him. 

Firstborn’s reaction to the letter, at nineteen years old, moved me to begin writing more thank you notes – not for special occasions, but just because. Yes, I say thank you when I’m supposed to, but sometimes those thank you comments seem rushed, rehearsed, or expected – it’s what we do. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a thank you note to a friend, to my parents, to my sisters, to my pastor, a co-worker, or even a neighbor.  For those who are married, a thank you note to your spouse would probably set the day off! 

This season of Thanksgiving is the perfect time to sit and hand write some thank you notes – just because.  Yes, it will take time and cost money for stamps, but a genuine thank you is priceless. Firstborn’s cheesecake is just about gone (there were two), but his letter remains hanging in his room and the words will hang on his heart for a long time. Since I don’t have your address, I’d like to say THANK YOU for your support, your words of encouragement, your kind replies and thoughtfulness. There would be no Momsweb without you.