Today’s topic had me thinking what the best title was and have found this title fits: When letters go unanswered.
Most of us have probably been on both ends of this statement, where you have taken the time to reach out to someone and write them and then nothing happens. Perhaps you have even followed up with another letter hoping to start something similar to a tennis volley of the back and forth of correspondence, and yet again nothing – no response. That’s your being on the sending end. The ‘what to do about that’ I will save for another blog post.
And now the flip side of the scenario. Being on the receiving end where you have this recurring nagging feeling that you really should sit down and write a reply back to your dear friend who wrote you. And yet something comes up and you didn’t do squat. You get another letter from the same friend not giving up on you and you mean to write but alas the days slipped by and that stack of letters continues to sit.
For this scenario (being on the receiving end) I have a suggested solution:
Introducing our very own personalized form note (template)
Today I suggest (with a little bit of attempted humor) we use our own customized snail mail reply form note – to use so that we at least respond to those letters awaiting our reply. Please feel free to print off and customize the wording on your own computer for your template before printing off a stack and using them. It is important to keep the formatting intact, meaning we really do want to have lines for fill in the blank, and on choice answers to circle the best answer or if more than one applies, then circle multiple.
Date _______________
Dear _____________,
Thank you so much for your recent letter! Please know how much your letter is appreciated.
While I have the best of intentions to write you and send a ‘proper letter’, alas, I am doing good to fill out this personalized form note to you. My thinking is it is better than you having the silent sound of crickets chirping at your mailbox awaiting a reply from me. Please accept today’s note with the spirit with which it is intended. It is personalized because I have circled the items that applied to me and filled out the blanks to the best of my ability. (And I did manage to find a stamp and address it!)
Hope you are well!
Around here things have been
a) all good – no one sick recently;
b) the kids have been sick;
c) the dog has been sick
d) someone in the family has been sick _______________.
These days I:
a) work too much but still getting some sleep;
b) have been burning the midnight oil;
c) running the carpool;
d) managed to lose 10 pounds!
As far as having done anything new and fun, recently
a) Saw a new movie and its title was: _______________;
b) On Netflix found this new movie (or series) and it is called: ___________________;
c) Reading a new book, the title and author: ___________________________;
d) reading a blog that is so exciting to me and it is called ____________________.
Additional comments:
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Love, Hugs, Yours Truly, Best, (<—Circle one)
__________________________________
Should any of my email subscribers to this blog want to print this off and use in sending to me please know it will be received with the warmest of receptions and smiles and will be kept with my special Anchored Scraps Correspondence Hat box and included as a mention in my scrapbook!
The point is to at least do something and get rid of the guilt of having not answered your mail. I think when you actually sit down and start you will then see the form isn’t even needed, but then again, maybe it is! There is a saying I use with my scrapbooking and that is when talking about pages to be completed, better done than none. Here’s to answering our letters so we can be done!
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
