Writing Thank You cards with your kids.

I was always taught to write thank you cards after Christmas. We would sit down and write to our grandparents and aunts and uncles, especially. We took our time and made sure that we wrote to everyone that gave us a gift. I didn't always love doing it but I knew that it was important and that my mom would be proud of us for taking the time.

And, isn't that what it is really all about, TIME. That is what someone says when they open your card..."Well, isn't that nice of them to take the time to write a thank you card." I know I have said it. But, it means a lot. And it teaches your kids the art of writing a letter and of saying "Thank you."

At this stage in my kids lives, we sit down and I write the letter. I will ask my daughter to give me some guidance...what did she like about the toy? what was her favorite part of Christmas? How much does she like that special outfit her aunt gave her? I try to write down a lot of her cute responses and then I sign her name. She is just about at the point where she can write her letters. That is when it will start to be really fun.

And it is some good quality time with my kids where we are able to talk, again, about how lucky they are to receive gifts and how important it is to be thankful. She actually used that word, thankful, the other day when I was talking about Christmas, so I know she is getting it. And, how bout this, I still write thank you cards. Up until about 2 years ago, I used to write business people thank you cards after they met with me. You know, just to say, "Thank you for taking the time." Again, it is about the time.

I remember I wrote a co-worker a thank you card when I first started working for the NBA. I just wanted to tell her thank you for doing so much for me. She said that the other people she was working for had never written her a letter in the 8 years she had worked with them. I had only been there 3 months. I think she was touched.

So, yes, the grandparents will be thrilled to get their 'thank you' card in the mail. And you, as a parent will be so proud of your kids for writing them. But what I hope to teach my kids is that those two little words go a long way and should be used more often than not. Happy writing!

Haning with Jim

When I first met him, he immediately reminded me of my grandpa Charlie. A straight shooter with a warm, warm heart who just wanted to chat and tell his stories. His name is Jim and he was our dinner date this evening. Keri, my sis-in-law invited me to yoga and dinner with her friend. Yoga was a killer but super fun and sweaty. But the real fun came afterwards when we all met for dinner. I didn't know that Keri's friend's father-in-law was going to join us but I was so happy. He sipped on his red wine and told us stories of how he landed his job on wall street, went to the Korean War, spent 6 months in a hospital for fear he had TB (but didn't) and why he moved to Park City. He told us about his health and he would follow it all up with, "But who am I to complain." He was kind enough to let us tell a few stories of our own.

I spoke a bit about my grandpa and how much I loved him. I said that he was a similar straight shooter that would tell you to your face if you had bad breath because he would want you to know and wouldn't know any other way to do it. He had dinner with us practically every night when we were growing up. The funny thing is that I always knew how lucky I was to be that close to my grandpa. I always knew how special he was and how much he meant to our community. I hope my kids see their grandparents that way. I hope they listen to their stories of life and lessons and everything inbetween and know that there is so much to appreciate and learn from them.


I feel like I could have sat there with Jim and the girls forever. I miss my grandpa Charlie every single day and tonight Jim reminded me of how important it is to spend time with our elders. To hear their stories and let them shine. Boy they deserve it. As we left, Jim was saying goodbye to everyone...especially the ladies. I can't wait to meet him for lunch and hear more. Thanks for dinner Keri!