Gratitude

It's a little something we're working on teaching the girls.

We will call friends and family to verbally thank them for gifts sent to us and our girls, but more often I attempt to send a thank you card. It is a habit ingrained in me by my parents, and while I didn't always appreciate the task set in front of me as a 10 yr. old... or as a 16 yr. old.... it is quite a valuable lesson to learn. And I am grateful to them for imparting this lesson on me. Pun intended.

As the girls get older, it is important to us they learn the value of thanking someone, that they participate in this process, and that they, too, become habitual authors of a thank you card. And we figured, why not start 'em young?!

Inspired by a tutorial in Soule Mama's The Creative Family, we created a handmade card we can print repeatedly in our home office. Big Sister did the initial drawing, while Little Sister added color to the card stock reprints. I wrote the actual note to family member(s) inside while we discussed what gift we received from them, and what we liked about it. Big Sister even wrote, "Love, Big Sis" in a few. What a terrific way for both our girls to participate fully in the thank you-card process! Heart that Soule Mama!

Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone. ~Gertrude Stein