On Nov 18, Richard Hollant wrote a post at Felt & Wire on the topic of gratitude. I learned about Richard’s post via Facebook where he asked family, friends and associates to comment about “thank yous” that we have received that have meant something special to us. I thought and I thought. I thought some more. I could not for the life of me remember receiving a special “thank you”. It made me rather sad. Furthermore, I couldn’t think of a recent time when I had sent a special thank you. Why is that?

Richard wrote “Growing up, gratitude meant handmade cards and gifts for the simplest of considerations. In my adult life, gratitude is the starting point to how I interact with the world around me — it’s my portal to love.” I began to think how very colorful Richard’s life must be. I began to wonder how much I was missing. Is my life gray?

Now, I’m not saying that I’m living a life of ingratitude. My friends and family are warm and supporting. I’m certainly thankful for their presence in my life and for the help and consideration they have shown me. I’ve written emails to friends and business associates …. “Thank you for the lovely lunch,” “Thank you for your time”. But have I ever taken the time to fashion a note card (not just write it) to thank them for being who they are? Have I written to someone just to commemorate our meeting? I wonder how they would respond to receiving such a note. I wonder how I’d respond to receiving such a note?

I think there is a certain amount of self absorption going on here in my world. My world is about trying to survive. Maybe it’s just about thoughtlessness or not taking the time. Perhaps it is due, and this is no excuse, to the constant battle against the fires in my life. Working 14 hours a day, raising a family on my own, paying the bills, repairing broken pipes and lawnmowers provided little time for penning letters of thanks. In my younger years, I had many pen pals. Friends and lovers who were away at college. People across the sea. Before the days of the Internet, handwritten letters were all we had. Often I’d tuck found items into my notes. Bits of ribbon, crazy illustrated coupons and designs torn from magazines or newspapers made my notes and letters special and unique. It seems like a lifetime ago since I’ve had the innocence to include such things in a letter, let alone fashion my own cards.

The theme of this blog is living a life of art and design. This doesn’t necessarily mean heading out to a gallery to purchase a $5,000.00 piece of art. Living a life of art and design can be done in the simplest of ways. A beautiful table setting for dinner that shows how much you care. A bubble bath draw up for someone we love: complete with aromatherapy, a stack of fluffy towels and candles all around. A simple handmade card is a way for us to slow down our minds and back away from the fires. It’s a way to reconnect with our creative and reflective soul. And it’s a keepsake to the friend who receives it. These thoughtful gestures, I thought, were things of the past. In a world where we are increasingly computerized, it’s not just important to have gratitude. It’s important to show it, to live it and to touch it. These expressions of gratitude and joy are glimpses into a heart.

Thank you to Richard Hollant for writing this post. You gave me pause. You caused reflection on how I can be more creative, more thoughtful and bring more love into the world thus also benefiting from the sunshine of its illumination. And thanks to Felt and Wire for posting it.

I have to run now. I have some creative “thank yous” to make.