When I started my thank-you note project, I had high hopes. There were so many people who deserved short, but thoughtful, notes, and surely I could find those people. But this task has proven more difficult than I had imagined.
A week ago, I decided to email the woman who runs the fish fry at our church/school. If you have been to a fish fry, you know how hectic and busy it can be. I volunteer for a shift every year, and it is hard work, but it does not come close to what M, the woman in charge, does--scheduling people to make sure there is enough help, setting things up, keeping track of food, telling people what to do, answering questions, stepping in as needed in addition to running the kitchen, and probably a dozen other things I don't even realize. She works so hard to prepare for this weekly Lenten event, and when the actual night comes, she is grace under pressure.
So I decided to email her to express my gratitude and appreciation for all she does. It was just a simple, three-sentence email, yet she emailed me back to thank me for my kind words, telling me that they go a long way. When I read her reply, I really wished I had taken the time to pen those words on a note, as I bet they would have meant even more to her. But just knowing they meant something to her means a lot to me.
Most of all, it reminded me how important it is to show our appreciation for what people do. And even if you think someone else has already thanked that person, it can never hurt to thank him or her again. So with that thought, I have another person or two in mind. Hopefully, I can send an actual note next time!
A week ago, I decided to email the woman who runs the fish fry at our church/school. If you have been to a fish fry, you know how hectic and busy it can be. I volunteer for a shift every year, and it is hard work, but it does not come close to what M, the woman in charge, does--scheduling people to make sure there is enough help, setting things up, keeping track of food, telling people what to do, answering questions, stepping in as needed in addition to running the kitchen, and probably a dozen other things I don't even realize. She works so hard to prepare for this weekly Lenten event, and when the actual night comes, she is grace under pressure.
So I decided to email her to express my gratitude and appreciation for all she does. It was just a simple, three-sentence email, yet she emailed me back to thank me for my kind words, telling me that they go a long way. When I read her reply, I really wished I had taken the time to pen those words on a note, as I bet they would have meant even more to her. But just knowing they meant something to her means a lot to me.
Most of all, it reminded me how important it is to show our appreciation for what people do. And even if you think someone else has already thanked that person, it can never hurt to thank him or her again. So with that thought, I have another person or two in mind. Hopefully, I can send an actual note next time!
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