What matters to me today is: The Power of a Handwritten Note.
Some messages are read. Others are remembered.
Early in my career, after working with California’s Senate President pro Tempore, an envelope arrived from Sacramento. Inside was an embossed note card with a few handwritten words in blue ink: “Thank you for your hard work, David. I look forward to working together again.” It took perhaps 15 seconds to write, yet I have remembered it for decades. A leader at the highest levels of government had taken the time to put pen to paper. And work together again, we would.
Years later, a partner who recruited me to my national law firm—and became a mentor, confidant, and dear friend—died unexpectedly. Before him, I had no intention of joining the firm. But his encouragement and collaborative vision inspired me.
At his passing, I wrote his widow, whom I had never met, telling her what her husband had meant to my life. Months later, at a private memorial, I introduced myself in the receiving line. She stopped me, called her daughter over, and said, “You’re the one who wrote the letter.” “The letter . . . “ We hugged, shed a few tears, and that was enough.
Handwritten words carry a piece of the writer that emails and texts rarely can. They communicate not only what we think, but that someone was worth our time, our vulnerability, and our attention. Never underestimate the quiet power of a handwritten letter. Long after the ink has dried, its encouragement may still be changing someone’s life.
That’s what matters to me today in 250 words or less. What matters to you? I’d really like to know.