Ever since my daughter Ashley left on her mission I am constantly being told by people how my daughter Ashley sent them a birthday card in the mail, or how Ashley sent them a sweet letter about a special occasion in their life, or how Ashley sent them a random card just to say she loved them and they mattered to them. I have been blown away at the number of people that Ashley makes the time to let know how much she cares about them and how much they matter to her. Every one of those people know they are important to her because she took the time to make them feel important. I have to say that I have been really humbled by Ashley’s actions.  I have so many people in my life that I care about, but often times life gets busy and I get overwhelmed and even though I am thinking of the people I love I don’t take opportunity enough to let them know they matter to me. I am horrible at remembering birthdays…if it wasn’t for Facebook giving me a reminder I would be lost! And I can’t even remember the last time I took the time to write a hand-written card to anyone…oh, wait…I do remember… I sent my daughter Ashley a card in the mail a few months ago and she said it meant the world to her.

I am grateful for Ashley’s example because it serves as a great reminder to me that if we want people to know we care about them we have to be willing to invest in the relationship. We have to be willing to give them time and attention and remember to acknowledge the important events in their lives. Otherwise, how will they ever know how much they mean to us?  They can’t read our minds, the can only read our words and actions. The bottom line is, if you want close relationships you have to take the time to invest in them.

And remember that it’s not so much the words you say or the things you do, it’s more about the way you make other people feel. Like Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  – Maya Angelou

Have a great Monday everyone!

~Amy