The other day I was bringing in the mail when I spotted a return address which said, “The White House.” The letter was addressed to my son. Then I remembered that a few months ago he came out of his bedroom with a picture/letter declaring that it was intended for President Obama and we should mail it to Washington, DC, right away.
When I told him he had mail his eyes lit up. When I told him the mail was a reply fromPresident Obama at the White House those same eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Thank you for writing me. I am inspired by the messages of hope and determination I receive from students across America, and I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts…
… I encourage you to dream big, try to improve the lives of others, and aim for excellence in all that you do.”
Now, do I think for one second that POTUS sat down in the oval office of the White House and wrote a letter to my son? No. Does he? Absolutely, and that is really all that matters.
This got me thinking about how we live in the day of 140 characters and have forgotten about the value of a letter versus an email or speaking in person rather than by text. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate those 140 characters. I would much rather shoot off a quick email, tweet or text than pursue the more time consuming alternative.
However, seeing the look on my son’s face has reminded me that there are times when it is truly valuable to take the longer route. That letter from President Obama made him feel valued, respected and special. (He said it was even cooler than when his friend Josh brought home a gold bar from Alaska.) He could not wait to bring it to school and I know he will cherish it for years to come.
I think there is a lesson in there for me too. This week I am going to sit down and write some letters. I certainly do not expect the recipients’ eyes to pop out of their heads, but if I can give someone a smile or two it will be well worth my time.
What have you done lately to show your appreciation to someone?
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POTUS has Found the Marbles. Do you know someone who has Found the Marbles? If so, send an email to Jessica@FoundtheMarbles.com.
So sweet! Definitely something to keep in mind…
Love this. It reminds us that whatever our politics, the POTUS is THE POTUS!
Aww, sweet story! Glad it made his day!!! We sent a wedding invite to the white hous eand got a “congrats” letter signed by barack and michelle. Made our post-honeymoon mail opening too! LOL!
That’s pretty cool! Came over from the SITS comment hour.
What a sweet story 🙂 I remember LOVING getting mail as a kid, and letter from POTUS would have put me over the top! This is going to motivate me to write some letters!
Wow I didn’t even know that they responded at all.
So Glad that i “Found The Marbles” via #CommentHour! Great blog and I will be back!
I love this. I can’t imagine the look on his face while he was opening that letter! #comment hour
I love this! He’ll remember getting that letter for the rest of his life.
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I think I am going write a note to someone before bed tonight. Thanks for the inspiration!!!
This was a great post and it really is the little things that count. This was also inspirational for me to read bc I appreciate phone calls and letters over text and email too… :/ I’m going to improve my habits of doing this as well. Really great post- much to think about from it.
Here from #commenthour. That is so sweet and must be really cool for your little boy. Check out my blog at http://www.morganandkari.com
Kari
too sweet about your little one! Really reminds us of what’s important — sometimes 140 characters can’t speak like a letter from the White House!
I never knew you could just mail something to the White House. When my oldest was born we got something from the White House welcoming him to America. It was kind of funny.
Oh, what a sweet story. I agree, about hand written letters and snail mail. It is an art form in the digital age.
#comment hour
Love the theme of your blog. Stopping by from comment hour.
I still write letters….with fancy pants stationary!
That is so beautiful!! Frame that one and put it on the wall. Love it!
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Pam
I just wrote a post about WWII and how couple met and married within weeks, like my husband’s grandparents. His Dad and uncle told me about the stacks of letters they found while they were separated by the war. Letter writing is a dying art.
Real letters rock – even better if they’re on pretty paper or beautiful card stock. I just love paper products and old fashioned writing!
Visiting from #CommentHour!
Letters from important people in important location are always fun to receive on fancy stationary.
I did that for my father’s 80th birthday by writing and asking friends and dignitaries to write letters which made him super happy
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What a great moment and memory for your son!
Stopping by from CommentHour – a great post and so very true. The fact that your son even received a letter is important. Too many times these days we only text or shoot emails.
I try hard to listen to my gut and follow it whenever it tells me I need to send a card or pick up the phone.
What a great time and memory for your son!
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How very cool! I am in the airport coming home from Todd’s mom-mom’s funeral and this posting has so much relevance as we paged through old photos and hand-written documents. I thought about how we have nothing to hold onto when we send our texts and, ocassionally, a hand-written letter would mean so much!
I love when something small like this can make someone’s day! I love the impact that this had on him. This is something huge that may affect how he sets goals and achieves them for the rest of his life. Go POTUS!!!!
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It’s definitely true that letters have become a dying art – and yet I’ve got some stashed away from 20 years ago that are treasured. It’s not quite the same printing out an email. I know I’ve got some stationary I can dust off somewhere. Thanks for a good reminder.
I love letters – receiving them and sending them! But I’ll admit that 99% of the time these days, the letters I write are the electronic kind. What a great treasure for your son – and a great reminder for us!
Very cool!
Ginger
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Aw, good for your son! Bet he will hang onto that letter for a loooong time. And thank you for the reminder, I *do* have a few notes to write.
There are so many things I love about this post, Jessica.
I love that your son had to write to the President.
I love that someone wrote back. That – a letter to a child from the most important person in our country – makes me proud to be an American.
I love that you pointed out we can make others feel valued, respected, and special without spending more than the price of a stamp.
Lastly, I love that you took this opportunity to see the lesson and do something for others.
You are a real class act. 🙂
So sweet of you. Thanks, Tara!
Very good post. Appreciate it.