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By Susan Dromey Heeter,
Joyful Musings
Handwritten notes, notes of gratitude and caring are what I muse joyfully upon this week – inked messages of thoughtfulness make me smile, bring me joy and are a reminder that it never, ever hurts to express our gratitude of a job well done, of a kindness given.
Last night I met up with my daughter’s former Spanish teacher. My daughter had written her a thank you note back in June, expressed how much she’d enjoyed her teacher’s enthusiasm, joy and kindness. And this educator had tears in her eyes when she told me how much this note meant to her, seriously wanted to frame it. That brought me joy and reminded me that words, especially words written on paper, can mean so much.
Susan Dromey Heeter
I’m not good at much; I cannot make cupcakes or a dress, but I can write a decent thank you note. And this summer I wrote one to one of the benefactors of a scholarship provided to my other daughter. She, of course, has already written a thank you note, but I thought, “Well, why not I?”
So I wrote a note describing how much his generosity has made a difference in our lives. And then this gentleman called to thank me for a thank you note. Apparently, he’d never received one before from the parents of scholarship recipients. And I was so grateful I had the time to express thanks – realizing those moments meant something to someone.
It’s good to give thanks, to write thanks, to appreciate even small acts of kindness. And I bask in carrying around note cards so I can write notes on the go – don’t have to wait until the “time is perfect” to scribe a few words.
Almost ten years ago, a woman wrote a note describing how honored she felt to be a part of a program my students had performed. I still have that note, shared it with my students and, truly, felt entirely honored she took the time to thank my kiddos. One of my former students wrote me a beautiful note thanking me for orchestrating a world cup competition with fuseball tables in my Spanish classroom. I still have this note.
I don’t keep texts or emails very often but notes stay. And as I muse joyfully this week, I invite you to write a note of gratitude to a teacher, a friend, someone who has served you well. It really may make a difference.
And, as always, I thank you warmly for reading! Enjoy a most wonderful week of gratitude, of thank you notes, of appreciating the service of others.
Susan Dromey Heeter, a writer from Dover who recently let her hair go au natural white, writes “Joyful Musings” for InDepthNH.org. Dromey Heeter is a secondary Spanish Teacher at Dover High School and the mother of two teenage daughters. Writing has been her passion since her English majoring days at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dromey Heeter has lived in The Netherlands, Alaska and currently basks in all things New England, including the frigid winters. An avid swimmer, Dromey Heeter’s great passion is to bring back body surfing as most children have no idea how to ride waves without ridiculous boogie boards. She also writes about thrift shopping and all things frugal in a column called “Budget Vogue” for the New Hampshire Union Leader.