Between Mama, Aunt Anda, and Grandmother, the greeting card/stationary business is alive and strong. I come from a long line of women who take the time to pick out the perfect cards and then to follow up with the perfect words to go in it. Me…not so much. It’s not that I don’t want to send them because I absolutely want that person to know how much the gift or gesture meant to me. The anxiety stems from feeling like I say the same thing in every card….”Thank you for the beautiful ______. I love it! Blah, blah, blah…” It sounds so trite and trivializes the way I feel about the gift, and I want to be able to expound on it’s merit more than just “I love it!” There are good thank you card writers out there and I always appreciate one when I receive it.
I sent a friend’s stepfather a bag of granola as he was recovering from bypass surgery. I meant to put in the get well card that no thank you card was necessary–I try to remember this with every gift I give in case someone over thinks this topic like I do! But he sent an extremely thoughtful and heartfelt card about that simple bag of granola and I knew beyond a doubt that he really appreciated the gesture. If I could write a card like him, there would be no stopping me!
Case in point, a friend gave me a gift on the anniversary of my mom’s death. It was brimming with care and love and things that made me laugh and feel pampered. She just “got it” and what what would make me smile on that day. Yet I still have her on my list of to dos to thank her with a note in the mail. The same week, we traveled to Savannah to visit Molly and Daniel and were treated to a weekend full of good times, laughter, great conversation and just being together as a family. Molly and I ran in the Tybee Island Half Marathon and had a blast. They were the perfect host and hostess and they didn’t even turn off their phones when we called them for the 10th time Friday morning, asking questions for directions around Savannah while they were both at work! I usually like to be the entertainer, not the entertainee, but at Molly and Daniel’s house, I felt right at home as the guest. I know first hand how much work goes into having guests stay in your home for multiple days–they deserve a big fat thank you.
I know Molly will see this post at some point…Hi, Mol! And my hope is that she’ll forward it to Daniel…Hi, Daniel! I am a total slacker and wish I was more like Molly as she definitely inherited the gene for the gift of writing thank you cards on time and with proper gratitude conveyed in them. And Diana, you have no idea how much your bag of goodies brightened my day and how much I’m still enjoying them!
Since pictures do a much better job of conveying feelings than I do, here are a few of the trip to Savannah!
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| Lou loves her some Aunt Molly |
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| Our good friends came down for Jay to run in the race too–it was his first half marathon and he rocked it! The kids had a blast on the beach, despite the chilly temps. I couldn’t believe S and E wore bathing suits! Hard core chics right there! |
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| S’s hair is just too stinkin cute |
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| S and E treat Paige like a pricess–she adores them! |
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| BFF 🙂 |
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| It rained the first half of the race so we were soaked crossing the finishing line (but happy to have been brave enough to do it in the rain!) I was actually overdressed by the end of the race as the temperatures finally went up. |
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| Molly at the finish line finishing strong! (wish I could make this bigger but I stole it from FB and it’s low resolution) |
You're welcome:) You know how we always say you can't stay ahead of Grandmother and Granddaddy…well, you can't stay ahead of Nancy either! What a great way to say thank you: with pictures:) I love this idea and will use it someday with my own thank yous. Adds a nice personal touch. Sweet Lou; wish y'all were here right now! The pic of Larry and Jay is priceless! That's a great one of you running too! Thanks for sharing:) Please don't send an actual thank you; this post just made my afternoon:)
Such amazing pictures! That one of S (her short hair is gorgeous!) is breath-taking, as is the last pic of E and Lou! And the best friend pic…*sigh*…I just love it. Love you guys.
WOW. that's all I can say right now. WOW. have read
the blog 3 times. absolutely LOVE the pic of Larry
& Jay. Have the 3 M's from Kansas (and Mark!) here-
as Minnie would say – "making memories". Have laughed and been silly all day~ that's the me that
I love to be 🙂
Nancy, I share your struggle with Thank You notes. It really is hard to convey a short little card how much something meant to you. Great post and I CANT WAIT to see you in just a few more weeks. I miss you more than I can ever express in a comment :-).
FORGET about an actual piece of paper with the words Thank You coming my way! Love, love, love this. And BTW…pretty sure you said thanks a million times to me. If not I can read your mind and that is scary! Ha. You are a gift to me every time I get to hang out with you! The best, simply the best you are!
~D
Thank you…. Your words shine just as brightly as your smile and that just made me smile. I love all of the pictures. The one of Jay and Larry is adorable. Thank you for sharing your beautiful self!!
Love, Kim
Okay, Molly and Diana, I'll let this sub as a thank you, at least this time! I'm glad you enjoyed your off the beaten path thank you note 🙂 Jules, can't wait to see you too–it will be here before we know it!! Kim, yes that picture of Larry and Jay just cracks me up every time I look at it!