Give handwritten thank you notes

In 1989, when I was 24, I moved to the Cayman Islands. Sending faxes and making phones calls was still eye-wateringly expensive, so I sent aerogrammes, short, handwritten letters, to stay in touch with family and friends.

These days the art of a handwritten letter or even note seems very rare, so today a reflection both on the power of receiving a handwritten thank you note, as well as the perhaps surprising power this has for the giver.

Receiving — ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

When I was young my mother always taught and told me to write thank you notes whenever I received a gift. As we moved into electronic communications, I have to admit that I got out of this habit.

However, I do have one family member who always makes a point of taking time to write truly thoughtful handwritten thank you notes and, yes, sending them by mail. Recently they sent me just such a card for a book I gave them for Christmas.

I realised that I always keep those cards from them. I first keep them on display on my desk for some time as they are so lovely to receive, then I never throw them away, I keep them all.

It is, indeed, special to receive a handwritten thank you.

It is always very powerful to be acknowledged, always remember you have the ability to do that for…