THANK YOU!

How do you choose to express your gratitude?

"Thank you" is not an end but a beginning.  It's a lifelong celebration which allows you to take action and make the ordinary extraordinary."

Last week this card came in my mailbox.  It was from a dear friend who has been away for a long time.  Out of the blue I received this special card and I can tell you, it made my day.  It made me think of who I want to remember and thank.

A few years ago, I received this homemade postcard from my aunt.  It was a photo of the roses that she grew in her gardens (dewdrops included).  She remembered that roses were favorites of mine, and she creatively made it for me.  I treasure this card and continue to display it on my bulletin board.

One of my skilled crafty friends, created this beautiful thank you card for me.  It too remains on my bulletin board.  This particular friend makes everyone of the cards that she sends to her friends.  Each card is a gift.

This precious card is also a special treasure to me.  It was made by my oldest granddaughter, and it will always hold a place of prominience in my home, since it was the first card she wrote for me.  Her carefully printed "thank you" just blesses my heart every time I see it on my kitchen bulletin board.

Last summer I stopped in to see a dear friend.  It was during a difficult time in her life.  When I said "goodbye", she placed a small package in my hands.  When I got to my car, I opened the clear bag, only to discover a flower bulb to a giant daffodil called "Dutch Master".  The instructions said, "plant before frost".  I did just that.  Today, months later, this is what that bulb looks like.  I took this picture out of my family room window.  The gift that keeps on giving, and of course, I think of her every time I see the green growth.  What a lasting way to say "thank you" to a friend.

Robyn Freedman Spizman wrote "The Thank You" book that graces my bookshelf.  In it she has hundreds of clever, meaningful, and purposeful ways to say thank you.

She states, "Thank you is the ultimate expression of appreciation that acknowledges someone's kindness and thoughtfulness.  When saying "Thank you," you have an opportunity to let family or friends know how much their deed, words, or kindness meant to you.  This immediate reciprocation validates and acknowledges the goodness that life has to offer and makes the good times better and the difficult times easier to swallow."

It does not matter what method we use, but it does matter that we express our thankfulness to those who give to us.  This tiny, old crystal salt shaker with a tiny flower, is one of my favorite ways to say "thank you".  I can set it on a friend's counter during a visit, along with a tiny thank you card.  One idea that I shared before, but continue to like it's simple beauty.

"Thank you ultimately becomes the fine art of returning the expression of kindness, and fully participating in the true meaning of thoughtfulness and appreciation."

"Think of all those people who contribute daily to your life or the lives of those you care about.  Now ask yourself, when was the last time I went out of my way to thank them?

~Robyn Freedman Spizman

Please and thank you are still magic words.

Thank you for your friendship to me, in this fascinating blogging world.