Please say "Thank You"

I remember when I was a little girl our family had our pastor and his wife over for Sunday dinner. I was born and bred in the country and was accustomed to rough and tumble play. The majestic power of politeness had not yet been introduced to me. But the politeness of our pastor and his wife left a lasting impression on me to this day. I still remember how full our pastor's hands were when left our home, he had difficulty opening our front door to leave. Because among some other things, he held his hat in his hand until he got outside. It would have been much more convenient for him to free up his hands and put it on his head but for respect of our home, he waited. A day later, we got a very nice thank you note in the mail from them. It was almost as though the minute they had got home, they sat down, wrote us a note of thanks and mailed it. It showed us how truly grateful they were for having them over. I had never heard of sending someone a thank-you-note for a meal before. The only time I had ever written them was for Christmas gifts.

Being polite and proper seem to be dated in our fast moving society. We have embraced being casual to the extent that being polite makes us uncomfortable or seems awkward and unnecessary. It has never been more important. My concern is the loss of thoughtfulness and the simple touches of detail in considering another person. For instance, a handwritten thank you note says a lot more about how much one cares about that person and what that person did. Because a handwritten note takes time and effort to and it takes spending a little money to mail it.

Why don't I write prompt thank-you notes?

Is saying "thank you" not worth .35 cents?

Am I simply not grateful?

Is my time more valuable than their time?

Is my life and the things I have to do more important than their life?

Is gratitude not a priority in my life and therefore at the bottom of my "to do" list? 

For large gatherings, perhaps I differ the responsibility--expecting that someone else will do it?

Do I use the excuse that it is probably not expected and therefore not necessary? (Since when is showing thanks unnecessary?)

Recently, my husband and I attended an out-of-state wedding. Shortly after their honeymoon, the bride sent us a note to thank us for our wedding gift to them. What warmed my heart, was that she also sent a separate, personal note to thank us for the time and effort in going to their wedding. One note would have been sufficient to do the job, but her second note really made me feel loved and truly appreciated. 

OK, the point is not to write two thank you notes or even one at all, but simply that it is a great gain if a lady gains ability to think beyond herself and place herself in someone else's position then she will truly appreciate what that person has done or is doing for her. Then out of that appreciation and thankfulness, it is easy for her to have the right response toward letting that person know the depth of her gratitude.