In praise of a heartfelt note

A few weeks ago in Parade magazine (the supplement that comes in many Sunday newspapers), I read this article, "Up Your Gratitude: Thank-You Notes Can Have Profound Effects." The author began the essay telling of how he penned a thank-you card to a Starbucks barista who had to work on Thanksgiving and how that woman nearly broke down, having felt that she mattered. The author went on to discuss his subsequent journey of thanking 365 people, and how it not only made a difference in the lives of the recipients but his as well.

Just a week before I read this article, I was thinking about how I can show my appreciation for people. The day after Christmas, when I went to get my oil changed and my car aligned, I decided to bring in a box of candy for the workers at Flynn's. I felt bad that they had to work the day after Christmas when so many others didn't. I think it meant something to them; certainly the guy I gave it to was extra friendly and chatty. And when I came back three weeks later to get tires replaced, the guy whom I gave the box to share said, "Oh, you are the nice lady."

I think back to 2009 when I sent a thank-you note to the priest at the church where I have taught Bible school for the past three years (that year was my first), and how he called me up to thank me for my note. It had not occurred to me that someone would have been touched enough by a simple act of gratitude to then express his appreciation. It is probably because of that that I went on to thank various people in the next couple of years, including people at Jordan's previous school, the principal and teachers at Jordan's current school (where I also sub), some relatives who have supported my mom.

But I can do more.

So with my past experiences and that Parade article in mind, I have decided to take the author's advice, on a much smaller scale. Rather than send 365 thank-you notes, I am planning to send out a note twice a month. Although there are many people I could give my thanks to, it seems a little forced to me to find 365 of them in as many days (or even in two year's time).

If I can touch even a few people and perhaps cause some of them to pay it forward, I will consider this "experiment" a success.

Do you think I am nuts? Is it something you would consider doing?

Regardless, I am going to begin my journey this week. Stay tuned.

What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, " Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed. And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty. I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry a

Why do they stand up there and say that when they are just lying?

That extra-long title is courtesy of my nine-year-old and was something she uttered during "Say Yes to the Dress" on Friday evening. I watch very little reality TV, but I make an exception for this show because I like to look at the dresses. And sometimes, the stories are heart-warming. Typically at the end of the show, a snippet of a wedding is aired. In this particular show, a woman who was confined to a wheelchair was exchanging vows with her fiance. After the two of them finished, J made her comment. I asked her what she meant as I must have been on the computer while the TV was on, and she explained that because so many people just get divorced, why do they even say "as long as we both shall live"? That is tough one, kid. I tried with what I thought was a sound explanation: Most of the people who get married truly believe they will be together the rest of their lives, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. But if you don't think that you will be

Wearing my heart on my sleeve

Four years and two weeks ago, I wrote a blog post that contained the good-bye email I wrote to my coworkers on the occasion of my last day of work. I was pretty proud of that note, which was quite hard to write as it reflected almost 13 years of being with one company, which is pretty rare in this century. I reread that note this morning to remind myself of what I had said, as that time feels like a lifetime ago. One sentence struck me: I am not sure where I will go from here or what I will do (although I fear cooking will be part of my immediate future), but I like to think onward and upward. I really had no idea what it was I was going to do or how long I would be without steady employment. Never did I suspect I would more or less be a SAHM who subbed and freelanced on occasion (sometimes the subbing and freelancing were often; other times I could go weeks without working). But here I am, just over four years later, getting ready to head back to steady employment.

Facie’s Ramblings

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