A simple thank you can change someone's day

A few weeks ago I mailed a necklace to an unsuspecting door prize winner from the San Francisco Contemporary Crafts Market in March.

Mini Ladder Necklace, shown in sterling silver and onyx, photo by Grant Boyle, ©2011 Kathy Frey
The lucky winner received a necklace like this in my "sunshine" color combination which includes shades of carnelian and red coral.

I didn't have her email address to give her a heads up, which maybe made it a nicer surprise. When I mailed it, I put delivery confirmation on it so I could be sure it was actually delivered. Once I confirmed that it was, I filed away the receipt and moved on.

Until last week when I received this:

A lovely, simple hand written thank you note from the recipient. She was so excited, couldn't believe she won, and absolutely loves the necklace. More than that, her little note meant the world to me. I have a file of thank you notes from customers that I keep for those days when I'm feeling blue or unloved. More than that, they serve as a great reminder for me to return the favor. After receiving a thank you note I'm more likely to send a short note of thanks or a thinking of you card to friends, family, and collectors so I can share that same feeling I had when I received one.

As we all know, a hand written card is way more special than an email, so take a few minutes to make someone smile by dropping a card in the mail for any ole reason.