Manners?

To my great satisfaction, I received a thank you card this week, written in the person’s own distinctive hand.  Short and sweet, grateful, and timely, I couldn’t ask for more.  Giving little gifts has always been one of my favorite activities, and while there truly are no strings attached, an acknowledgement of my offering is like frosting on the cake.

When we receive a present, sometimes even just a card, in the mail, the need to say, “Hey, I got_____, just wanted to let you know it arrived, and that was so nice of you,” floats at the front of my brain until I sit down and write a note. These days, it isn’t always a handwritten, mailed-at-the-USPS note because email is so much faster, but it does go out.  That way, the sender doesn’t have to ask if ________ got there. Just manners I guess, which we hopefully learned from our parents. One of my earliest memories is of a crayon-written thank you note to my grandmother for “the purfumg” she had given me. Couldn’t spell it, but knew I needed to say “Thank You!” When one of my granddaughters calls to thank us for something, it's perfect... no written note needed!

While I’m at it, I might as well write down my preferred answer to a verbal expression of gratitude. “You’re Welcome!”  Old fashioned I suppose, but much nicer to hear than, “No problem.”