A Thank You Note A Day...

So, here we are at the beginning of February. Remember the goal I set for this year to write a Thank You card each and every day the whole year long? I have a few things to report about that goal:

1. Indeed, I have succeeded in writing a Thank You card every day so far in 2014. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it might be.

2. I am finding that the benefits of this goal are many. I thought that it was merely to show gratitude for those around me. I didn't anticipate the experience it would be as each night, I took account of that day, and people in my life, and then began writing my gratitude and thoughts to a certain person that stood out to me at the time.

3. It wasn't hard to think of someone to write to each day. I am realizing how very blessed I am to be surrounded by wonderful people who touch my life in lovely ways. I find myself looking forward to my "note-writing" every night.

4. People love to hear gratitude for something they've done. I've received several texts, phone calls and conversations from my "note receivers". Again, it makes me realize that I need to express my gratitude to others more often. My family and friends need to know these things.

5. I now recognize that I probably didn't say "Thank You" half as much as I should have. Many times someone does something kind for me, or I hear a particularly touching lesson or talk in church, and I mean to mention it to the person, but I get busy and time passes. And before I know it, I've forgotten about it. 

6. It has become a sort of Gratitude Journal for me. It helps me recognize so many blessings in my life that occur just as a normal part of my day. I have kept a list of who I write the notes to and why I'm writing them. I began the list as a way of keeping track, so I wouldn't forget who I had written too, but it now looks very much like a list from a Gratitude Journal and it makes me smile to look at it.

So, as you can see, it has been a very good thing for me. I've learned much and I know there is still much for me to learn throughout the year. My hope is that this makes it more of a habit and that after the year is over, I just keep on writing. Through the years, one thing I've learned is the truthfulness of the quote below, and I want to do what I can to let my family and friends know how much I love and appreciate them.

New Year's Resolution: Daily Thank You Cards

I've been thinking long and hard about my resolutions for 2014. I try to keep them simple, and I also try to not have a list of a hundred different resolutions. If there are too many, it's just too hard to focus on them all, and I end up not really working very hard on any of them. If I keep it to about five items, it is pretty do-able.

Now, I don't think I'll share all of my resolutions here. Not much reason for that. However, I will share one of them, because it's sort of an experiment that I'll report on once in a while. I love writing and receiving Thank You notes. Doesn't it seem like note writing is becoming a lost art in this age of technology? I must admit that many times I write emails or texts to express my gratitude to people. While this is far better than not doing it at all, I still love a hand-written card received in the mailbox. There is something so personal and meaningful about it. The fact that someone has taken a few minutes to jot a note is wonderful to me! Especially when it is for something that is out of the ordinary... a lesson at church, a visit, a meal, advice, or whatever. It's fun to realize that someone felt gratitude enough to write about it.

So, on to the resolution. I have resolved that I'm going to write a Thank You card every day this year. Does that sound crazy? Which is more crazy... that I plan to write 365 Thank You cards, or that I've actually voiced it aloud? When I was thinking about wanting to show more gratitude to others, I thought about a gratitude journal, which I've done before, but I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to let others know about my gratitude for them and what they have done. I don't think I'll have any problem coming up with someone to write to every day. I could make a list right now that would be as long as I am tall, that would include all the people I feel gratitude for, and that continues to grow daily. How great to think about this at the close of every day and write a note to someone I am feeling particularly grateful for that day. I'm sure that there will be some who will get more than one note from me throughout the year, which is the way it should be.

I have stacks of Thank You cards just waiting to be used, and I just bought another couple of packages from Target. They have such great stationary!

So, wish me luck on this little venture. I hope to report in every now and then to let you know how it's going and what I'm learning along the way. My real desire is that by thinking about and expressing gratitude to others, I will "live with gratitude ever in my heart", as President Thomas S. Monson has said: