Item #27 – Send 40 People I Love a Personal Note

40 Things for 40 Years in 40 Weeks: Item #27 (Things I Never Do) – Send 40 People I Love a Personal Note

The art of writing letters is a dying one. Even sending a birthday or holiday card seems to be a dwindling practice for most as well. Handwriting itself is being phased out of curriculum in schools because it isn’t used. Instead of sending letters like we used to - we email, text, Facebook message or snapchat to connect with people. It certainly isn’t the same though.

I set out with this list item to “Write a letter once a week” to someone I love but time snuck up on me towards the end. Even though I really wanted to write a hand written note to all of those people that I hold near and dear, I had to tweak this list item a bit in order to make my own deadline. So my letter writing campaign morphed into a new version of itself on my #40for40in40 list and item #27 became “send 40 people I love a personal note.”

There is so much going on in the world that is negative right now. As much as my #40for40in40 project was about checking off some of my bucket list items for my own personal fulfillment, I also wanted to put some love back out into the world because after all - can you ever tell the people you love how much they mean to you too many times? I don’t think so. Too many times we find ourselves not saying the words enough only to have time or tragedy sneak up on us and then we regret not saying it more. I didn’t want to have any regrets in this respect and let this opportunity pass me by.

Surprisingly I found that the hardest note to write was to my mom. So much happened between us right before she was diagnosed with her dementia that looking back now I wish I could change. We didn’t realize that some of the symptoms of her illness were coming out in bizarre ways and that she couldn’t control some of what was happening to her and what she was doing or saying. Although I am not sure she will fully be able to comprehend the words that I wrote to her, I still have sent them off to her and I hope she will somehow get the message which is how much I love her and that all is forgiven.

While I will not be sharing who the other recipients were or any of the letters that I wrote because they were deeply personal, I will say that I thanked each and every one of these people for being a part of my life. Some of the notes I sent were handwritten in the beginning. A birthday card, a thank you note, a thinking of you or just because card with some extra special sentiments. The most recent and final batch were sent via email but the sentiment was still there within the typed words.

What I was reminded of in writing these notes is that I have some really amazing and wonderful people in my life. They are all different but they are all part of my little world. They have entered into my life in many different ways but they are all my people. I am lucky to spend time with them, laugh with them, cry with them and walk through the ups, downs and in between moments of life with them. They have loved me, supported me, inspired me, mentored me, forgiven me, and motivated me. Thank you to my tribe for all of your support throughout this journey and all of the other journeys we have taken together before it. I love you all.

And so that completes item #27 on my list. 39 items checked off the list and 1 to go! The end is near!!… #40for40in40