Giving Thanks, Receiving Thanks

I want to talk about thanks and Thanksgiving today. You'll have to excuse me since it's still October and weeks away from Thanksgiving. At Amy Adele, we always end up working six to eight weeks ahead of every holiday as people are ordering their invitations and stationery for holiday events. So even though the rest of the world is gearing up for Halloween, we're already working on Thanksgiving and Christmas. But back to Thanksgiving. We hear the phrase "giving thanks" a lot. We regularly "give thanks" for our food, our health, our relationships and so on. We give thanks to people we when we receive gifts and various kindnesses. But what about receiving thanks? We don't talk so much about that (and understandably). But we must remember to be gracious and always acknowledge when thanks is directed to us. Do we say "you're welcome" warmly and sincerely, or do we try to shrug off thanks uncomfortably, with a "oh it was nothing" or a "don't mention it"? All of this brings me to an email we received from a customer last week. We at Amy Adele are very blessed that our customers take the time to share with us how much they enjoy Amy's designs. And without meaning to brag, I will tell you that we are often acknowledged for the great customer service our staff works very hard to provide to all of our customers. But this email took us all back a bit. It was immediately shared and passed around to all the staff. We are grateful for such wonderful customers and friends who have made our company what it is today. And for all the thanks we receive, we warmly and fondly say, "You're welcome!"

Hello,

Today I received my order of 80 personalized ocean friends thank you cards. Words cannot express my feelings as I opened the box and found such a wonderful experience. First off, I see that not only were the cards in a plastic bag, but also in small netting bags. I removed one of the bags and I was immediately brought to tearing eyes as I see the name of my not yet born grandson staring back at me. I remove one of the cards and see how the card is exactly as ordered, the vibrant colors, the not overdone but obvious theme and the beauty of his name across the front of the card. I am pleased and I say out loud “Aiden, you are a lucky child. They have done a wonderful job!” So I put the card back in the bag and a few minutes later I open it again and look at it. I am so impressed by the product which while the quality was expected, the packaging was not and it does make a difference. I am so pleased by the card and I immediately put a call into the dad to be that the cards have arrived and I am so pleased. Again I put the card away and look at the paperwork. Oh a note addressed to me? So I open it and here it is a THANK YOU to me for my order. Not a tiny sentence on the invoice but a THANK YOU CARD! It says that it is hoped I will enjoy my order and a blessing for all of those who share these designs and signed. I mean can it get much better? Yes, it can. My order was made with recycled paper and although I didn’t need peanuts in my shipping, a note explaining those used are bio-degradable and FDA approved. Well you got me. All of my needs whether invites, thank you notes, or announcements will be done through Amy Adele. You are a top-notch company that has gone above and beyond what anyone can expect from a business today during these hard times. Thank you so much for the wonderful job you do. Well I wanted to get that note off to you right away after receiving my cards. I have to go now. I feel the need to look at them again and smile about the WELL DONE JOB! Thank you!

Karen

(Note: names were changed out of respect of privacy)