In a previous post, I wrote about the range of emotions I felt as I found and read hundreds of old cards and letters from my past. It amazes me how much emotion can be wrapped up in a few written words and the memories that go with them.
I was reminded again about the importance of written words recently when I received a thank you note. I am a big proponent of writing thank you notes, and I encouraged forced my sons, when they were younger, to write notes to all who gave them gifts for events like graduations.
I receive thank yous from various people periodically for gifts I give or meals I prepare, but this most recent note was different.
For the past ten months, I have worked with a program in my community to teach classes to prepare adults to get their GED (high school equivalency diploma). I am one of four teachers in the program that serves many different kinds of people at many different educational levels. We see students come and go as their life situations change or as they get frustrated and drop out.
Jen was a student that came to us with abundant energy. She seemed ready to learn, but could easily get discouraged. I noticed she stopped coming, so I sent her a quick email encouraging her to come back. She did for a time, but it didn’t last long. I thought that she had made the decision to give up. That was four months ago.
Yesterday, I received the following note from her.
My first reaction, when I read the news that she had passed, was that I was excited about her success, as I always am when I hear this good news from one of my students. But the next emotion I felt was gratitude. She did not have to take the time to write and deliver this note to the education center. But she did. It didn’t matter that she was only in my class a couple of months. She attributed at least some of her success to my being her teacher. And she told me.
One place that we can leave a legacy for our people is to recognize and attribute our successes to those who helped us along the way. Showing gratitude to those who lead us is so very simple. But so very meaningful.
Do it now.
Write. The. Note.