It was her rough draft for two thank you notes that she had written after her birthday to two dear friends.
Written in cursive, with words and phrases struck out and new ones inserted in, it reminded me of all of the thank you notes my mother had asked me to write growing up. I had always hated writing them. But now, looking at her rough drafts, I realized how special it is to receive a thank you note, especially one that is hand-written. What she wrote was so gracious and loving.
So my Christmas goal was to write handwritten thank you notes to my friends, to thank them for being there for me, and to tell them what I admired about them.
Didn't happen, of course, and now that my son is out of school, I doubt I will get around to it.
Instead, I am going to write my thank you note here.
To My Friends:
I see you, struggling to meet the demands of your children, your job, your family, and the expectations put on you by others. I see you feeling worn down and unappreciated. I see you volunteering your time to help others, and working long hours to make sure that your students/clients/coworkers/family get what they need. I see you trying to figure out how to live a "balanced" life when we all know that is pretty impossible to achieve. Your life isn't easy right now, but you keep going on, putting one foot in front of the other.
Yet, you smile at a friend. You offer encouragement to others. You keep going, even when times are tough. You offer sunshine, even when you feel like you're under a dark cloud yourself.
You are strong, and beautiful, and kind, and loved. Your friendship means the world to me. My life would be a little less colorful without you in my life. Without even knowing it, you made me feel better on a dark day. I love spending time with you, even if that "time" is just a series of emails or texts, or shared groans while we work out, or a quick gab session while dropping our kids off somewhere.
It is my Christmas wish that you feel love and peace and happiness this season, and that you know your light has been seen and appreciated by others. Thank you for being my friend,
Love,
Mary Beth
