How to Say Thank You

There are a million ways to say 'thank you'. It's a phrase that is spoken in countless languages and understood by the youngest of our kind. It's easily spoken, but it means so much to the one receiving the thanks. One thing about thank you is that it doesn't always have to spoken in verbal communication. It is sometimes more meaningful and more accurately conveyed when written in a letter or note. And dare I say, even remembered longer when written in a note?

When is a thank you appropriate? We teach our children at a young age to say 'thank you' when they are given something and when they finish eating a meal or snack or when they receive a compliment or whatever it may be. It's not a natural thing to be thankful. It's even more unnatural to speak the words. We live in an age of entitlement. People feel they are entitled to anything they are given and therefore neglect to say thank you for it. They don't speak it because they don't feel it. But, this is a sad way to live. Our thinking needs to be reprogrammed to see that everything we have is a gift. Ultimately, a gift from God, but especially when we receive something (by word or deed) from another person, we should be thankful and convey our thankfulness to them.

How do you say thank you? Well, you can verbally speak it when it's appropriate to do so (which, in most cases, is always!) like when you are handed something, complimented, given food at the dinner table, or when someone holds a door open for you or blesses you when you sneeze. Those kinds of things obviously warrant a verbal thank you. But what types of things should we write thank you notes for? Here are a few:

1. When someone gives you a gift (birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.) it is highly appropriate to write a thank you note. {I used to be so good about this and it's something I'm working hard on again. AND I'm teaching my kids to do this, as well.}
2. When someone invites you over to their house for any reason. It's a nice gesture to have someone over as we talked about here. Always show your thanks.
3. When someone makes you something - handmade gift or item or food, etc. ALWAYS appropriate to write a thank you note. The kind you put in an envelope and either mail with a real stamp or hand to the person.
4. When someone does a service for you without much recognition, it's a very kind gesture to occasionally write a note of thanks to them. (i.e. Mailman, Cleaning Lady, Teacher, Pastor, a friend who has greatly encouraged or inspired you, a child who has been working hard to do their part at home, your spouse who works hard to provide for the family, a nurse, a doctor, a parent, etc.)

A note of thanks can be just the thing that person needs to keep on doing what he/she does well. It can really lift the spirit and make someone's day. But most importantly, it is good for us to reflect on those things that we don't deserve, but for some reason have received and offer up thanksgiving for those things. Being thankful probably works more for your own benefit by recognizing there are so many things we have to be thankful for. A thankful heart is so refreshing to the giver of the gift, as well as, the recipient.

Check out my Pinterest board "Say Thank You" for some cute printables and ideas of ways to say thank you!

Who do you need to write a Thank You to? I have a few I need to write and need to help my girls write. Are you in the habit of writing thank you notes or is it just not a big deal to you? Have you ever received a thank you note? Have you ever not received a thank you note?

This is part of my 31 Days of Home Economics series. You can find the whole series above at {Home Economics}.

I'm sharing this with a few of these friends. Thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you have a blessed day!