A PERSONAL HOBBY GOES (SLIGHTLY) Mainstream

Whenever a mainstream news article comes out that focuses on deep gratitude, the enrichment of letter writing, etc, an increasing number of my friends and family members will send me a link.

Such was the case recently. There was a New York Times article written by a former editor of the paper, now a Stanford Professor, who urged his graduate students to write a thank you note to someone who had assisted them, even if the assistance had been provided many years prior.

Almost all of his students reported that the person they wrote to was overwhelmed with joy and happiness, being remembered or recognized for some long ago moment of kindness, or bit of advice, helping hand, etc. As you can imagine, the students who wrote and sent the notes were equally happy and delighted to have done so.

Here is the eerie part: I quickly texted back the first person who sent me the article that morning. I told my buddy Rick, I had JUST written a Letter of Gratitude the day before, hadn’t yet even printed it or mailed it, that was of similar circumstance.

I wrote to a trio of my second cousins, three siblings, who lost their mom, who was my first cousin Esther, the week prior. Amongst the thoughts of condolence and reminiscence in the letter, I mentioned that, even though we haven’t been face-to-face or in contact of any kind for some 25 years, I of course felt compelled to reach out and share my warm feelings regarding their mom and a short list of youthful escapades with the entire family.

The moral of the story: This letter writing campaign, in which I indulge so frequently and with such enthusiasm, which in turn has morphed into something of a cottage industry, is being recognized and embraced by a wider swath of the population. And for that, I am “grateful!”