Going Old School

Remember the days when people actually wrote thank you notes?  You know, the kind with a real stamp (that you licked), hand addressed and delivered by the postman.  Don’t get me wrong, love the email thank you.  I USE the email thank you.  Even do it via text.  But I do love me a good handwritten note.

As we approach Luke’s one year birthday (still in shock and disbelief about that), I decided to send a note of thanks to each of his doctors and floors of residence at Dell.  I originally thought that I’d just knock those out in about an hour and off to the post office I’d go.

Yeah right.  Whew.  Talk about a walk down memory lane.

How do you say thanks to the neonatologist that wrote the order to transport him to Dell which was the first time a doctor saved his life?  How do you convey your gratitude to the nurses that held your hand while you fell apart at his bedside, day after day, night after night?  How do you apologize to his surgeon for being “that” mom when he told you Luke needed emergency surgery?  How do you sum up a year on a 3×5 thank you note?

Write really tiny, I guess.

Somehow, some way, I am hopeful that the words we carefully chose to share our thankfulness are felt by each of those doctors, nurses and staffs.  I pray they know that they have a job that is really more than that.  Their “daily grind” has been burned into my memory.  I will never forget our NICU stays, Luke’s surgeries, his close calls, his leaps of progress, his procedures, his setbacks…  More importantly, though, I will never forget the amazing people we met along the way.  Luke’s life has opened so many doors, changed so many minds, softened so many hearts.

Praise God for the pen and paper.  It’s allowed us to say ‘thanks’ one more time to those that walked the journey with us in a very intimate, touching, understanding way.