Radvent, Day 4: Sincerely

Lately, I've been having to write a lot of thank-you cards. I graduated from school this year, had two baby showers and then had a baby, and all that celebration adds up to one hell of a lot of thank-you cards! Initially I felt like this was a chore and had to schedule myself time to sit down for them, but more recently, I've found that I sincerely enjoy doing it. The act of writing out the truth of my gratitude has been cathartic, in a way, and now I leave my shiny metallic pens and squirrel notecards (thanks, Becca!) in the credenza right next to the dining room table so I can jot a note whenever I feel the need to thank someone. And I'd like to do it more.

I find inspiration in sincerity many places.

• At home, Eric and I like to leave little surprise notes for each other. I found a sweet one stuck in my bag one day a week or so ago when I got to work. 
• We have a dry erase board on the fridge I regularly update with one of Ethan's new sounds and my "translation," usually some incarnation of "my dad's rad!" or "my pop's tops!" Yep. Cheesetastic. 
• Once I was at Caffeine Dreams and felt something brush my leg. I reached under the table and found a note that said "Dear Stranger: Close your eyes and take a breath. Everything will work out beautifully. Take heart!" 
• I belong to a group on Facebook called Mail is for Lovers, a group formed specifically to bring back the dwindling tradition of sending handwritten notes in the mail. 
• My wonderful friend Anne, who also happens to be the busiest person I've ever met, somehow still finds moments in her jam-packed days to write a few thoughtful words on a sweet card and randomly drop it in the mail for a friend.

Words are important, obviously, but I don't feel that sincerity is necessarily tethered to that notion. I feel like it's in the doing, the effort put forth to get your message across, that the sincerity of one's feelings is displayed. My friend Robyn at She Makes Hats genuinely loves people and expends that love in knitting hats for them. Ashley English over at Small Measure, a woman I admire greatly, lives sincerity in her every step-- in how carefully she chooses nourishment for her family, how lovingly she prepares their meals, her enthusiasm for her freelance work in mindful living. And I think all of this authenticity I note in the people I know can be traced back in some manner to the simple concept of gratitude...no matter it is first expressed.