The Old Fashioned Thank You Card

      I am an avid junker. I love to go to yard sales, flea markets and auctions. There is just something about that musty old stuff that commands my attention. Maybe it is the craftsmanship, the careful attention to detail, the quality of the materials or the history of the antique pieces but I tend to prefer the old to the new most of the time. I recently thumbed through a worn book that I picked up on one of my many treasure hunting trips and I came across a small decorative piece of paper. It was made of nice stock and was roughly the size of a modern day business card. It was an exquisite piece of miniature artwork decorated with beautiful flowers and elegant designs. It turned out to be a victorian calling card. It had a place for the callers name and a short greeting. Apparently, the caller left their card on a tray or bowl by the front door so that the hostess had a record of who stopped by that day. They left it whether the person was home or not. Fascinating, really, how complicated high society could be in the victorian era. A card with a folded corner meant that the caller had come in person as opposed to having a servant drop it off. They left cards to announce their moving to a new town or to offer their condolences or congratulations. It was a formal way of letting someone know you were thinking of them or that you were interested in spending more time with them. Socializing was a big deal, just done a little differently than in a technological age. The whole process seems rather formal and structured by today's standards. I have to admit though there is something rather romantic about dressing up, gathering my calling cards and dropping in on a few friends or better yet, having a servant leave a card for me. :) What a luxury to have that much time. I am lucky to get the opportunity to slow down long enough to fully chew my food, let alone find the time to go about town dropping off cards!

      Common courtesy was once held in the highest regard. There was more time and fewer distractions for things like visiting and welcoming someone to the neighborhood. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is in a great big hurry. We rush from one meeting or event to the next while constantly checking our phones  for emails, texts and social networking updates. We wear busy like a badge of honor but somewhere in all the madness and rush we lost something.

      Think about it. When's the last time you received an actual thank you card? Not an email or a text but a heart felt note of appreciation. My students still do this for me occasionally, I think because they don't have my cell phone number. :) Regardless of their motive, I cherish their sweet, handmade cards especially if they write me a note inside it. These seemingly unimportant cards act as a reminder of how sweet life really is. They help me focus on and remember the good times and the wonderful students who wrote them. People really underestimate the ability of the written word to communicate what we feel but cannot easily verbalize. In a world where the constant influx of information can be overwhelming sometimes we simply forget to say what needs to be said. We assume that people know how much we value and appreciate them but there is still great power in a heart felt thank you.

       This week's pay it forward involves just that, a few carefully written, sincere thank you notes. I am writing one to the lady that constantly lavishes her children's teachers with thoughtful little gifts in carefully decorated packages, for the neighbor that dropped off the rain barrel because they know I love to garden and for the talented photographer friend that takes the great pictures and gives everyone free copies, just because. These people find the time in their busy lives to do things for everyone else, so this week I want to let them know that their good deeds do not go unnoticed. I am going to plop myself down at my desk, dig out some pretty cards and write some good old fashioned thank you notes to some truly deserving folks. Who knows, maybe someone will come across one of them a hundred years from now and think man, I wish I had that much time.

Laurie