Ever find a letter from years back? People keep things they value. Not in terms of dollars, but in terms of how they make them feel.
If you do not read further, I ask you to do this: Drop a note, card, or letter to someone who makes, or has made, an impact on your life. Take 10 seconds and close your eyes. Think about a person who has made a difference in your life, someone who helped you become you. I know the person you thought of will be pleased you thought of them. Kind gestures make a difference.
A hospital regularly recognized an employee of the month. Their photo and a write-up on why they were chosen were placed in the cafeteria. People could fill out a note card to the recognized person and drop it in a box. Years after being selected, an employee of the month passed. Some of the leaders went to the wake. As they waited in line to share their condolences with the widow, they noticed the employee-of-the-month pin in the deceased person’s lapel. In the coffin was the stack of note cards he had received. His widow shared with the group from the hospital that during his final weeks, he kept the note cards by his bed and would read them often. Never underestimate the impact of thanking and recognizing people.
A 14-year-old girl was having her first slumber party. Her mother watched her give her guests a tour of the house. When she got to the fireplace, she stopped and picked up a note that was on the mantel. The note was one her mother had received from her supervisor at the hospital. She then read it to the group. As the mother listened in the next room, she became very emotional about what this note meant to her and her daughter. She then wrote her daughter a note and put it in the mail. Several days later, she saw that her daughter had placed the note on the mantel next to her own.
A department director told me a story that shows thank-you notes matter more than we sometimes think. She was good at her job and wrote thank-you notes to members of her team. She felt it was nice…not a big deal, but nice. She told me about how she would stop at the top of their long driveway and ask one of her children to check the mailbox. Whoever got the mail would tell their mom who it was from. One day as her son was reading off the letters, he mentioned there was one to her from the president of the hospital. She pulled to the side of the driveway and quickly opened the letter. The president had written to thank her and outlined what a special person she is. Her children asked what was in the letter. She read it with tears in her eyes. She now understood the impact of a kind letter.
Kindness creates gratitude. A heart full of gratitude creates a special warmth in one’s soul.
Drop someone a note, card, or letter today. And never underestimate the difference you will make.
