Show gratitude. Write a letter.

I believe in showing gratitude by writing letters. It is important to me that the people that make my life enjoyable know how I feel about them. It is a hard process for me to actually give someone a letter but such a worthwhile experience. There is a saying that asks, “If you had 15 minutes left to live and had one phone call to make, who would you call, and what would you say? And what are you waiting for?” I don’t know when my last 15 minutes will be but I am making my phone calls now in the form of letters. I prefer to write letters to those who are close to me. I guess the people that would visit me if I was in the hospital. It felt great writing one to mom and dad. When the time comes and they are no longer around I never have to second guess them knowing how I feel about them, I told them in a letter. I occasional write letters to people that I don’t know personally but I admire or respect because of an accomplishment or great deed.

I am a bomb technician for a law enforcement agency. I admire and respect our bomb squad commander. He is an individual who is knowledgeable and a great example of what a good law enforcement officer should be. I gave him a letter thanking him for being somebody that I can look up to as an officer and bomb technician. I thanked him for being my friend. He is considered a man’s man, a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Never gets excited or nervous on some of our responses dealing with suspicious packages. He never said anything about the letter to me, and that was fine I got a lot out of giving it to him. About a year passed since I gave him a letter and in the last six months he buried both of his elderly parents. One night we were in the locker room changing to go home and he said to me that he was cleaning out his locker and came across the letter I gave him and thought that was the nicest thing someone has done for him. He thanked me. I said no problem and we never talked about the letter since.

I enjoy running and if I run by Children’s Hospital I think of a kid that may never leave there. It makes me sad but also makes me grateful for the blessings in my life. When I run by Children’s Hospital I think that I need to write more letters. This is what I believe.