This blogpost results from two different occurrences converging at the same time in my life: (1) I read the Acknowledgments page at the front of a book I was just starting to read, and (2) I thought of an old friend of my daughter’s who once gifted her with a cat who turned out to be the best cat who ever owned me.
Anyhow, reading that acknowledgments page made me think about people I should acknowledge—not in my books but in real life. And that somehow led me to thinking about Kadeem, who gifted my daughter with this wonderful cat, who became mine when my daughter left home.
Now, you may be wondering where I’m headed with this. Well, this week I’m preaching acknowledgments instead of taking off on the glories of reading or writing. But acknowledgments are often rendered in writing, in the form of thank-you notes.
To whom do YOU owe a thank-you? You may never get to make those thanks public, as in the acknowledgments page of a book, but make sure you convey the message anyhow. It might be by phone for something less substantial, such as if your host(ess) cooked you a scrumptious dinner (or hosted you at a restaurant for which s/he paid). But for anything more major, writing is the better way to go.
Some people balk at sending thank-you notes because they don’t know what to say. “I’m not a writer like you!” is a phrase I’ve heard, and not just once. But it’s really not that difficult. (I even wrote a book for kids about writing and crafting thank-you notes. But it’s not just kids who need to write thank-yous. Adults need to write them too.)
Start off with a pleasantry, like “How are you?” or “I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful season,”—or both. Then say, “Thank you for ___” and specify what you’re acknowledging, whether it’s a gift, a kindness done for you, or something else. Now specify at least ONE thing you like or particularly appreciated about the gift, the kindness, or whatever. Then try to think of ONE more thing to say, such as “I hope this finds you and the family well,” or “I’m looking forward to seeing you again,” or “Here’s to a wonderful summer.” Then repeat your thanks, in words such as, “I just wanted to thank you for the great gift/for the thoughtful gesture/for _____.” End with a close such as “Take care,” or “Love,” or “Sincerely,” or “Always your friend,” or “Appreciatively,” and sign your name.
There! That wasn’t so painful, was it?
If you still can’t bring yourself to write a letter (and these days, emailed thank-you notes are acceptable to most folks), at least call—although some people get tongue-tied and do better in writing, where they can use the delete key if they don’t like the way the thanks came out the first time. But whether you call, write, or (in extreme cases) send a balloon-o-gram or something else spectacular, be sure to acknowledge the gift or kindness.
The world needs more thanks.