Thank You Notes

For the last two weeks we have been doing a lot of writing. Lots of little thank you notes to each other. Good to write them and good to read them. It come about as a sort of convergence of ideas: wanting to do something related to gratitude in anticipation of Thanksgiving and hoping to get Noah out of his writing slump (just hasn't been his thing lately). And then we got an e-mail from my mother-in-law sharing a note she had recently received from a stranger. It turns out the card was from a patient Adam had treated a few weeks ago when he was traveling in Sicily:

"This is to say thank you for having such a wonderful son. My husband B.became ill in Sigonella and your son was his doctor. A good friend of ours,who was head of Cardiac Research at UCLA, reviewed the notes and said that B. could not have had better care. Enjoy the wine and come by for some more if you are ever in Mendocino."

Adam's mom added this to her e-mail:
"Needless to say, my heart is bursting with pride even though I already knew what a wonderful son and doctor you are."

Isn't that nice? Isn't it amazing they took the time to share their appreciation with not only Adam but also his parents? Yesterday, I received a very thoughtful note from a friend in the States that brought tears to my eyes and made me appreciate our friendship even more (Thank You, Laureen). Sincere thank you notes, big or small, sent across the miles or posted on the dining room wall are pretty amazing things. I have been struggling lately to keep the kitchen clean, stay up on the laundry, and get places on time. I have been kind of grumpy and frantic at times, but when I sit down to tell Camille how proud I am of her when she helps her friends on the playground, or thank Noah for the little love note/drawing he left on the table, or thank Adam for staying up late to clean the kitchen....it never fails to make me feel better. I hope we keep this thank you note thing going long past Thanksgiving.