Growing up, I bristled every time I had to write a thank you note. While I was deeply grateful for receiving gifts, I didn’t enjoy writing a thank you note that was sent to the giver. Instead, I preferred to call someone and thank them, or spend some time visiting with them, thanking them face to face.
As I have gotten older, I have recognized that many people prefer the newer method of giving thanks by my preferred method – a phone call, a text message, or face to face. I have read excerpts from etiquette experts who mention taking the time to write a thank you card lets the recipient know that you have truly thought about the giver, and recognized them for their gift to you.
Recently, I was writing thank you cards, and realized writing thank you cards is becoming a lost art. While it was common for me to write thank you cards as a young child, it is not so common to find too many people writing them anymore.
The more I thought about thank you cards being a lost art, the more I began thinking about how I give thanks to my Creator.
When I sit down to write a thank you card, as etiquette experts note, I take the time to actually sit and think about the words I plan to say. I think about how much their gift to me has impacted me, and spend much more time thinking of the process by which they gifted whatever it is to me. That isn’t to say the verbal or phone thank you is any less sincere, but I truly feel when I take the time to write out a thank you, I spend much more time on the gift-giving process.
When I say thank you to God, I usually say a brief thank you. Sometimes, I have resorted to saying, “God, you know I am thankful for, well, you know, everything,” and then moving on with my prayer or my day. I don’t often sit and make an inventory of reasons for which I should be thankful, and I don’t know if I have actually sat and ever written a thank you card to God. And, at this point in my life, how would I have enough paper to really cover enough reasons for which I should be thankful?
I have been remiss in taking time to focus on the specific gifts I have received from God; I have failed to take stock of all the various areas in my life that I have been gifted.
Yet, if I am taking time to thank another person, should I also not try to take the time to thank the One who created me?
Wonderful post. We’ve been between homes after moving to France and we having been saying grace. This has inspired me to encourage us to think of one thing a day each of us are thankful for.
I am so glad you liked this post, and has given you something to ponder. I hope your move is going well!!
You’re welcome.
My 19yo son wrote and sent a thank you card to a relative recently and I only found out about it sort of second hand, after it happened. He wasn’t even going to mention it to me. That single act of his made me feel like such a great mom! (I used to have to buy the cards, hand him the pen, and mail them myself.)
Awww!! You did something right. That is awesome that he did it on his own! Way to go, mama, and way to go to your son! 🤗