At 10,000-plus and counting, Ellen Webster may have set the record for most handwritten thank-you notes penned by one person.
The Hoboken, NJ, resident said that her notes are an exercise in “intentional noticing” as much as one of gratitude.
“It’s about being able to identify what lifts, expands and connects us,” she said. “Even a warm smile can result in a note, if it feels sincere.”
Webster drew inspiration for her project from “A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life,” a 2011 memoir in which author John Kralik set a goal of writing a thank-you letter every day for a year.
“This project gives me the chance to choose to see beauty all around me. Goodness is everywhere. Even in the hardest times and places,” Webster said.
She is also passionate about stamps, calling herself “a raving fan” of their artists and designers.
Among her favorites are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tomie dePaola, and Total Eclipse of the Sun, as well as the Protect Sea Turtles and Bioluminescence stamps.
“I’m a scuba diver so I value the attention these stamps bring to our oceans,” she said. “And who doesn’t just love the wonderful Betty White stamp drawn by Dale Stephanos?”
Webster is also a fan of USPS.
She remembers receiving a torn-up eight-year-old letter in a plastic bag delivered with apologies from the local Post Office. It found her even though her address had changed several times in that eight years.
“My awe of USPS was sealed,” she said.
“If I had the addresses of every postal worker, you’d each get a note of gratitude. It might take a while, but that’s how important I know your work to be.”
