Glowing with Gratitude
Gratitude is a gift. Pass it on.
[Archived from April 1, 2019]
Last fall my husband, Chris, discovered Amethyst Place. After reading about them in the newspaper, he went by in person to learn more about this wonderful facility and its program. He came away impressed as much by the vibes of the center as by its mission to help women put their lives back together, break the cycle of addiction, learn job and life skills, and have a safe place to raise their kids. Residents and staff alike wore smiles and looked thankful to be there.
Chris began donating home goods and groceries, but wanted to get more involved by teaching. He asked if the two of us could give a workshop on writing thank-you notes. If you’ve read my earlier blog, “Mama Made Me Lie,” you know I have long experience in writing thank-you notes. I was happy to write guidelines while he was busy buying scratch pads, pens, stationery, stamps, and making the arrangements. Amethyst Place said, “Sure, you can give a workshop, but how about presenting it THREE times?”
Grateful hearts always make friends.
EnCompass
EnCompass is a mentoring program for the resident moms. Each month a mom shares dinner with her pair of mentors, two women friends who model a healthy, helpful friendship while teaching life skills. We were invited to present our Gratitude Program to their group, and I can’t wait to go back for the other two sessions.
Our audience was so incredibly welcoming and grateful that they made us feel grateful, too. They also shared their catered meal with us, which let us get acquainted with the people at our table.
After Dinner Thanks
Before we began our presentation, the moms were invited to name any Joys or Challenges they’d like to share with the group. You could feel the pride and gratitude
each woman felt for blessings as well as the enthusiasm of everyone around her as we cheered the news. We applauded an important commendation for a training program, a new baby, new job, achievements of children, etc. I was teary eyed before I got up to speak, but glad to know that these women would have no problem pouring their hearts out.
Julie Carmichael, Director of Programs, then introduced Chris as a supporter who often came by with donations. She said his frequent and quick drop offs made her want to ask, “Who was that masked man?” To explain why I was the chief instructor, Chris told the group that, when we got married, friends of his mother began phoning her. “You’ve got to hear this wonderful thank-you note I just got from Alarie!” Truly, I was as surprised as she was that my notes were making that big an impact. Any day we can impress our new mother-in-law is a good day.
My presentation was short, only about 5 minutes, because we wanted everyone to start writing while they had mentors available to help. We learned that the AP staff already encourages a lot of thank-you writing, so everyone was ready to jump in.
My biggest advice for writing thank-you notes was to talk in the same sincere, chatty way they speak. They don’t need to impress anyone with big words. They’re not writing a job application letter. They just need to let their gratitude shine through. They’d already shown they were good at that.
I held up the small booklet on writing thank-you notes that I wrote for Hallmark in the ‘80s. It was sold with their stationery line. One of the mentors said she had a copy! I told the group that my booklet had a sample letter for a man to thank friends for a golf shirt. Because they have more personal reasons to give thanks: for mentoring, counseling, encouragement, help getting a job, groceries, etc., I told them I’d written a new guide “just for you.” I was stunned by the squeals of glee and applause. I felt so grateful to be there that I decided to devote this blog to Amethyst Place as my thank you.
Heart-Warming Words
Along with the mentors, we got to hear some of the letters. Just look at the photos. Would you expect a thank-you writing party to look like so much fun? We were touched to receive two notes ourselves. I could say I’m proud they listened to my direction, but I know Amethyst Place deserves the credit for showing them how to live with gratitude.
Who would expect a thank-you writing party to be so much fun?
Dear Chris and Alarie,
Thank you very much for this Gratitude Presentation.
I appreciate that y’all took your time to come to Amethyst
and show us how to write thank you notes. Please
come back and visit all of us.
Sincerely,
Emily
Dear Chris and Alarie,
I would like to say thank you for
taking the time to come teach me a skill
that will be very useful in my life.
Having the knowledge that you gave us
can be the defining moment in career
opportunities and set me apart from others.
I very much enjoyed meeting you and
appreciate your generosity.
Sincerely,
Amber