Letter to the Editor: Don’t Forget A ‘Thank You’

[Written in response to a “Manners Matter” column from issue 26 of the Pulse about sending thank-you cards.] This seems to be a common complaint. My mother was adamant that when I received a gift, it wasn’t really mine until I said a proper thank you. This meant no playing with the new toy that I really, really had wanted, and morphed into my “not being able” to wear the gorgeous piece of jewelry someone selected just for me until the proper thanks was said. It also meant that many a Christmas or Easter afternoon was spent thanking the many kind people who remembered me. I thank her often for this habit that she instilled in me. She also helped in writing notes for gifts that may have missed the point which would emphasize how much I appreciated the thoughts and kindness of the giver.

I’m 79 now and the “mother tape” still goes off! What should be a normal reaction, gets many another kind word from the donor mentioning how seldom they receive a response and how much it meant to him/her.

Ellie McCullin

Sister Bay, Wis.