R elationships have always been important to me. And people have always been more important than a place or thing. As proof, the comment shared with my parents during parent/teacher conferences when I was a child was: “He would be an A-student if he only invested the same amount of time in his schoolwork as he does in his friendships.”
Several years ago, I was reading about how to turn something from an incident into a habit; as cumbersome as it may initially seem, do something over and over again until it becomes natural. So, I made the deliberate attempt to acknowledge and appreciate those relationships in my life that have been influential.
Consequently, I started writing handwritten notes to people. It was a Monday morning when I first made the attempt to write a note—just one. The following Monday morning, I did it again, except this time I wrote two notes. By the third Monday morning, I had imagined a list of people I wanted to acknowledge for their importance in my life and thank them for being such a person. Indeed, God has shaped and molded me through a great cloud of witnesses.
Now, several years later, I take 30 to 45 minutes every Monday morning and write five personal notes. The act of writing and sending the note is actually quite simple. It requires nothing more than investing some time and purchasing a roll of “forever” stamps. However, the dividends of this habit have been life-giving and life-changing for me. I don’t believe that the contents of my notes do anything life-changing for those people who receive them. (Perhaps they are even dismissed immediately upon being read.) But the act of acknowledging the relationship, expressing that in a note, and sending it in the mail puts me in a posture of gratitude every Monday morning. That’s a great way to begin each week!
Related: How writing can strengthen your prayer and faith life
As an elder in my local congregation, I use this note-writing habit to stay in touch with those members who are on my “elder list.” In my role as a fundraiser, I use this habit to say thank you to people who support our organization. Post-pandemic and in the season of remote-work, I love to write notes to affirm colleagues who I haven’t seen for a while. And, I love sending notes to those who least expect it, like the CEO of our local hospital, leaders in our community, neighbors, and, yes, even family.
Who receives a note is not an issue. What to say in the note is not an issue. The biggest issue is which stamp do I buy next?
Larryl B. Humme
Larryl B. Humme has spent his career in advancement work for non-profit organizations, including Trinity Christian College and the Reformed Church in America. He is a member of Christ Community Church in Lemont, Illinois, and lives with his wife, Carol, nearby.
