Community Chat

[SXMGirl]

@Boomernichols  You are so right.  Since he did not even know that I was there, no one was more surprised than me to see the thank you in today's mail.  His grandmother keeps him gracious and grounded, so I think he will be just fine.

[ROMARY]

'You know', 'come to think about it', the grandmothers in my neighborhood have trained their very young toddlers/grandchildren to wave to us from their windows!

Beginning from when they were babies.

Moms are very busy now-a-days, and as they are busily putting their children in their cars, and quickly driving away.........it's happened that the youngsters are waving to us as they pass by.  Without their moms even knowing.

So cute!

[golding76]

I am elated that you received a thank-you note from your friend's grandson.  It does buoy the spirit to know not only that your gift was appreciated but that certain polite and courteous behavior we value is still alive and kicking.

Like you, I recently received a thank-you note that stunned me.  It arrived with a return name and address (NYC) that I did not recognize.  (Posh NYC address, too.)  It troubled me a bit to open it, but open it I did.

Well, the writer was the nephew of a woman who was one of my first editors.  As I recall, we worked for an educational association.

This dear woman's nephew wrote to thank me for posting my sympathies for her death a few months ago.  She was in her late 90s, had returned to her home state after retiring from the work force and had never married or had children.  One Saturday morning, I was reading the obituaries in The Washington Post and spotted this lovely woman's photo and her accompanying obituary.

This poor soul was my editor/manager when my first marriage became abusive.  At that time, we did not speak of things like this, but this dear lady comforted me every day when I would literally begin weeping into my IBM Selectric typewriter.  I never, ever forgot her kindness.  She was the dearest, most sympathetic soul.  Can you imagine the sad scene?  Very proper and mature WASP lady trying to comfort nearly hysterical Mediterranean kid.  She had her work cut out for her.

Her nephew wanted to thank me for my kind words for an aunt whom he loved deeply.  How could I ever forget such a kind soul?

[Jordan2]

Good manners never go out of style.

[september]

I also got a very nice thank you note for my gift to my nephew, who graduated from college without an actual ceremony. 

we read so many derogatory things on this board about the younger generation.  In my experience, they don't deserve it.  There are grateful individuals as well as some who aren't....same as always.  

[AuntG]

I'll always feel a little guilty for not sending graduation thank you notes. Had good intentions and some note cards but never did it. My sister is still friends with a lady whose mother remembered me. If I meet her, I probably would say something and look like an idiot. The mom passed a few years back.

[SXMGirl]

@golding76  Your story is amazing.  What a lovely gesture from her nephew and what a wonderful friend she was to you.  Also, I loved those Selectrics!  I learned to type on one in my high school typing class.  Wish I stilll had one.

[golding76]

sxmgirl,

Thank you, but your story is certainly the more gratifying one.  All of us are happy to know that certain niceties will continue.

I suppose it wasn't difficult for my dear editor's nephew to track me down because you have to sign your name and your city and state when you post condolences on an  online site.  However, he was uncertain that he had found the correct person to thank.  The Internet divulged my home address, I suppose.

I really feel a tugging need to write back to him, to thank him for thanking me, actually.

He wrote that he and his siblings were his aunt's darlings and that she invited them to D.C. and other places of interest to broaden their horizons.  She must have been a joy to have as an aunt.  May God rest her soul.  

(Not to get into trouble, but I learned from her obituary that her church was a big inluence in her life, and my thought was that she certainly learned -- and applied -- her religious lessons well.)

[kittykatkay]

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@SXMGirl wrote:

@kittykatkay  Raised by his grandmother!

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@SXMGirl ..Bless her heart.  She did an excellent job.

[on the bay]

@SXMGirl -

Such a nice feeling and personal notes and cards should never go out of style!

They make someone know they are thought of and special enough to the person who took the time to write and send a card or note.

Thanks for sharing that