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Sympathy notes are hard
Most purchased sympathy cards have a serene image on the front and an inside message intended to spare you the trouble of having to put words to the pain of loss. If all you do is sign your name to a sympathy card, you may as well save yourself the trouble. These cards wind up in the trash. sympathy––sharing the…
Who Should I Write?
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s easy to forget that words not spoken or conveyed in writing are remembered because you didn’t…
Did I send the wrong handwritten note to someone?
Somehow I switched the notes. Oops. The note doesn’t match the envelope. As you can see, the card was mailed to S. The note was written to K. S. and K. live in different cities. S. texted to tell…
Sunshine and a Smile
While walking my dog, enjoying the unseasonably warm day and the vibrant colors of Spring bursting forth, I thought about things that make me smile. Despite the social distancing and shelter at home guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak, people…
Sorrow Gives Way to Soft-focus Memories
“Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not, but rather gain strength from what remains behind.” William Wordsworth Letting go of anything or anyone we truly love…
Write the Words Thank You
Besides graduations, weddings, parties and showers, ‘Tis always the season for writing Thank You notes. Deeds done are a gift. And failure to acknowledge the time and thought or money someone spent marks a failing indeed. Etiquette: prescribed behavior Etiquette––this…
“Why don’t he write?”
The movie Dances with Wolves (1990) has this scene where Kevin Costner’s character and an old muleskinner come upon the skeletal remains of a person who died on the plains of the Old West. “What you got there?” the…
Adventures in Writing
One kind of communication does not exclude the other. You may notice that in order to extend my message of writing handwritten notes, I make use of the Internet. And Instagram. And Facebook. On this website, however, I hope…
Ready, Set, Write
What are you waiting for? Assemble materials. Build a writing nest. Pick a place. Go for it. “The handwritten note has been around for hundreds of years and it’s not going to die out because some of its everyday…
Knowing When to Stop
My mother wrote so many letters that she then tore up the following day, which reminds me of the song “Knights in White Satin,” sung by the Moody Blues. The lyrics, “letters I’ve written never meaning to send” evoke…
Apologies and Making Amends
“Did I say something wrong?” “There are 60-11 other things you could have said.” —Nancy says to Pollyanna A surprising connection exists between apologies, making amends and the road to reconciliation. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount…
Do you deserve a gift?
Some years ago, while reading Miss Manners, one bit of advice struck me and has stayed with me since. Author Judith Martin said that people should not use notes preprinted with Thank You when writing a thank you note. Dear Miss…
Notes Contain Micro-stories
Handwritten notes you send contain a micro-story. As the note pictured above shows, this writer took time to celebrate a young girl’s achievement, noting the hard work behind her performance and the pleasure her performance gave to others. Make…
