A Simple Thank You for 2008 and Happy New Year for 2009

A simple thank you is often all that is needed to make someone feel good or raise their spirits after a trying or difficult time! With that thought in mind I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our military families and community who provide the support and encouragement our airmen, soldiers, marines, sailors and coasties need everyday to be successful in their tasks and services.

How else can we say thank you? I thought of a few ways to reach out to others and make “thank you” a standard within our community. We hear it from politicians, celebrities and TV news-persons but they seem far away and not very relevant to our day to day lives! I came up with some other ways to help with a “Thank you” campaign that is more at home and provides some day to day support.

Let’s start off with some easy ones first!

A quick smile works wonders for the mom or dad dealing with a stubborn or tired child in the commissary!

Greeting a newcomer at a get together who is standing in the background looking for a new friend (encourage your children to do the same and they will learn a valuable lesson too) and thank them for attending (we all need that sort of help in a new crowd).

Thank a service member in uniform while in the line at a local store-it could get catchy! We sometimes forget that we are able to thank each other and we don’t have to wait for a “civilian” to do it!

Volunteer at a support agency such as the Thrift shop or consignment shop or other service specific function!

These can take a little more of your time but I bet you enjoy them too:

Know your neighbors so you can see a need! Its easy to get isolated and feel out of touch–a thank you says a lot and earning a thank you says even more if someone is in need!

Encourage friends and their families through communications such as email, myspace,facebook,cards, letters (how about an old fashioned hand written note to really say thank you!) and phone calls!

Call that friend at the last post or installation and say hi, how are you doing? Be sure to listen and again say, Thank You!

Even flowers say thank you in a meaningful way! (Moms loved dandelions so I bet your friends would enjoy flowers from your garden too!)

Dinner for that new military family moving in nearby is always a great way to say thank you-remember their service brought them to you and who could say thanks better than someone who has experienced the same challenges! If dinner is a tough one, how about a cold drink and a few minutes to introduce yourself so they get a break!

These are just some of my thank you ideas I worked out in a quick computer session on a quiet Tuesday morning! I am sure that you have some better ones! Comment and tell us some of your own!

One request for 2009! Tell others about us! MilitaryAvenue was conceived as a method of helping military families as they toured the nation and world serving as only they can! One of our ways to say thank you is the 6,200 MilitaryAvenue Partner Listings on the site offering a military discount or gift to you–our American military family members and service members.We can only say thank you with discounts and support if folks know about us and the many new parts of the site including Answers, Alerts and this blog!

Have a great New Year!byColonel KonTuesday, December 30, 2008Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Col K,military family