“Robert Wray? You know Robert Wray?” A gentleman asks as he approaches me from across the room.
We are at a holiday party in the home of mutual friends, and his wife inquired about my kids, where they go to school, etc.
The regular stuff turns remarkable as he whips out his phone and scrolls to an image he keeps with him at all times. It is a picture of the thank you note my son had written for a sports camp last summer.
The note has been shared with the team and serves as a reminder of why they do what they do to impact the lives of young children.
We are big handwritten note fans. My kids set out to write at least one a day. No, it is not because they are stellar kids or we are great parents, quite the opposite. I work long hard days and have little patience when coming home to a demanding household.
I learned that if the kids have taken five minutes to thank at least one person that day, their mood is calmer, more appreciative and less insisting when I walk through the door gunning to get dinner on the table.
So I buy the cards in packs of 300, and writing one note joins the ranks of brushing teeth and bed making as a “to do.”
At The Creative Coast, we are also filled with blessings with incredible supporters, and we try to share our gratitude as well. One supporter recently sent an email thanking me for the “TYN” (thank you note) and mentioned he appreciated the “old school gesture.”
I do want to pause to share my one stroke of parenting genius. I was reminded of it when Barbara Bart put together a women’s breakfast to discuss Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.”
We were sharing the pressures associated with being working mothers, and I recounted trying to fit it all in. Bedtime was approaching, dinner was not yet cooked and I was staring at homework lists for two of my kids.
The first grader’s said, “must read aloud for 15 minutes.”
The pre-Ker’s said, “must be read to for 15 minutes.”
I could not find that 30 minutes in my schedule or figure which 15 minutes to cut.
A light bulb finally went off, and I put the two together such that my daughter read aloud to my son. Whew! I poured a glass of wine, finished making dinner and we all had a delightful evening.
Recently, I recycled this epiphany when I received dozens of compliments and thanks for the help The Creative Coast offers burgeoning businesses. I looked at the daunting list of companies I need to thank for making our services possible and I thought, “what would happen if I let the clients served directly thank the supporters?”
Ah, we can even offer the note cards. I hope you will be one of the lucky people to hear directly from an entrepreneur about how we appreciate you contributing to Savannah’s startup community and growing economy.
Bea Wray is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Bea can be reached at 912-447-8457 or bea@thecreativecoast.org.