Would you consider yourself to be a grateful person?

I always considered myself to be one. It wasn’t until I read this book and actually started practicing gratitude on daily basis that I realized that I wasn’t as grateful as I thought.

I talk about gratitude a lot. Mainly because I know that the habit of gratitude can really have a transformative power on your life.

As a part of my gratitude practice, I often write “letters” to people in my life. I sit down and list the reasons why I love them and why I’m thankful to have them around. I never actually send those out- they just sit hidden between the pages of my gratitude journal. Why? Well.. I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to let myself feel too vulnerable? Maybe it’s because working full time and running a blog while also working on so many other projects, leaves me with little time.

A NOTE, A POEM, A “THANK YOU”

One of the best gifts I’ve ever received is a short poem that my little brother wrote for me when he was about eight or nine. It goes something like: “a sister like you is rare, the things I would do for you, you don’t know how much I love you, not even a clue (…) I’ll end this poem right here, because I’m sure I’ve inspired at least one tear“. Even though he just turned eighteen this summer (which I still find difficult to believe!) I still keep that poem displayed on my desk. Every single time I look at it, it puts a smile on my face. It’s such a simple thing, but so powerful, at the same time. When was the last time you sent a handwritten note or a letter (or a poem!?) to someone in your life, telling them “thank you” letting them know how much you love them?

What if sending a personalized, hand-written note was just as easy as picking up your phone and launching an app? Bond is an app that makes saying “thank you” extra special by creating beautiful, handwritten notes and mailing them to those special people in your life. It’s a perfect mix of tradition and technology and all it takes is five minutes. So you can send a note to someone you love while you grocery shop, when walking your dog or during a commercial break of your favorite FoodNetwork TV Show (come one, we’ve all got one). It’s that simple.  Here’s how I created a note for my sister using Bond.

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT

The cool thing about Bond is that while you can pick your own style of stationery out of ready-to-go beautiful designs, you can also customize it. I customized the note for my sister by using one of my favorite pictures of us, taken when we were little. I added my initials on top and wrote a short message to her.

Compose a note by writing your message, then personalize it by selecting a handwriting style.

To make the experience even more personal, you can customize your note by uploading a photo. You then select the address from your phone, confirm and your note will be mailed.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward

Being able to use a picture of us, made it a lot more special for me. If you have a sister and there’s a small age difference between you, you probably fight.  Even though my sister and I have a ton of fun and magical memories from our childhood, it wasn’t until I moved out of our parents’ house at eighteen, that we became best of friends. And yes, we still fight sometimes. This is why being able to send her a personalized note that lets her know: “hey girl, you’re pretty cool and I’m really happy you’re my sister” is so special. Because I probably don’t let her know that often enough.

You probably already tell the people in your life that you love them, all the time. Having those written words though, feels so much more powerful than yelling out “love ya” as you leave the house. It’s something that can be re-read and treasured for years to come. It’s something that can create joy over and over again. We live in such a digital world, that it makes things like this, that much more precious.

While I believe that gratitude should be practiced all-year-round, there’s no denying that it’s this time of year, when we usually take time to reflect on it. So, I have a little challenge for you; this holiday season, take the time to send little notes to someone you love and appreciate. Even if it’s something as simple as “hey, just want to let you know how much I love you“; it’s one of the best gifts you can give.

This post was created in partnership with Bond.