A Note of Encouragement

By Jean Sanders

It takes longer to phone the florist and order flowers than it does to hand write a personal note that lasts longer than flowers and will lift the spirits of the receiver. You can write that card. The small volume you hold in your hand was designed as a blue print for personal development into a positive encourager of those you know in need of an uplifting word. A simple card with your carefully chosen words hand written – no texting here – will bring positive affirmation to those discouraged, down-hearted, under appreciated, sorrowing or deserving of thanks for a deed of kindness. The process is broken down, outlined and flows with examples of what works and what not to say. With a little practice you will easily become a positive encourager.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781663249432

Jean Sanders

Jean Sanders is a retired educator who served in various public school systems as classroom teacher, librarian, counselor, director of special services and grant writer. She was also certified as licensed professional counselor. Her favorite job was Mom to her two sons. She resides in Edmond, Oklahoma.

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Copyright © 2023 Jean Sanders.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-4942-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4943-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923880

iUniverse rev. date: 04/10/2023

Contents

Introduction

1.   Getting Started

2.   Thank-You Notes

3.   The Sympathy Note

4.   Note of Appreciation

5.   Nourishing Friendships

Conclusion

Appendix A

Appendix B

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Snail mail takes a few days. Texts are quick, but even with emoji for emphasis, they fail in comparison to hand-written notes. Notes are handheld encouragements. A Google search provides a plethora of synonyms for the word encourage. These include motivate, uplift, fortify, inspire, hearten, and comfort. My thesaurus added urge and support. More were offered, but these will cover enough territory for our purpose of becoming an effective note-writing encourager. If doubt and apathy have stymied your good intentions to encourage a friend with a personal note, this book is here to help.

I would have written a note, but I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. I thought it was too late. How often have I heard or said those words? Stay with me, and we’ll dispel those fears, bringing confidence to your notes. Note writing is a skill—an art if you prefer—which can be developed, honed, and utilized to touch positively the lives of people in your life and community who have, perhaps, touched yours.

While ways to encourage someone are numerous, our activities will focus on composing three types of notes:

• note of thanks,

• note of sympathy or condolence, and

• note of appreciation

We know what thank-you notes are. We’ve all written and received them. We want our thoughtful friends and family members to know that we are grateful for their kindness. We also want to teach our children the process. Don’t skip this section.

Few, if any of us, will traverse this life without suffering loss. I found a definition of sympathy that said this: The feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else’s trouble, grief or misfortune. We lose jobs, friends, and family members. The promotion didn’t come through. Someone else got the scholarship. The market crashed. These are a few of the situations when sufferers could use a note that lets them know someone cares.

You won’t find many appreciation cards on retail card racks because they cover so much territory. They are the cards that you wish you could find when you want to let someone know that you are aware of or pleased by their services rendered, talents shared, or goals met. You’ll think of more.

Lots of examples are coming.

Now that you know what’s coming, I want to tell you how this book happened. Lent is the forty-day period that follows Fat Tuesday and precedes Easter Sunday. Fat Tuesday, which you may know as Mardi Gras, is a feast day. Fasting begins on the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Some people stop eating something important to them, like meat, chocolate, or sweets. Forty days is a long time. Before Lent one year, I chatted with a neighbor. I admitted that I was a failure at Lent fasting. He suggested that I do something positive during the season that would keep me in remembrance of the upcoming Easter celebration. A few days later, another friend told me that her church taught both a fast and an active discipline. I decided I could write notes during this season. I didn’t write them every day, but I wrote some.

Was I successful? Not entirely. The death of a friend prompted a trip to California for a few days, but I busied myself on our return. I constructed and mailed off cards with handwritten notes. Considering the season, my mind dwelled on people in my church who made a difference. Most of