Interviewing seniors for my book, Make Mom Happy by Mail, was very interesting.  I asked seven questions and thought you might enjoy reading the answers on one questionnaire.

Question:  Would you prefer a letter, an e-mail or a phone call from your children.

Answer:  A Letter, even a typed one is better than a phone call.  It can be re-read, shown off to the neighbors without having to be printed out from the computer.  It says you care enough to give me your time and time is the most valuable gift of all.

Question:  What does mail mean to you in your daily routine?

Answer: A link with the past, for example a letter from a former classmate or news of the present like weddings, birth announcements and special days.

Question:  Do you know what time your mail carrier comes and do you look forward to it?

Answer:  Yes, he comes very later in the day.  And, YES!

Question:  Other than a letter, what have your children sent by mail that made you happy?

Answer:  Cards on special days and then for no reason at all.  Card from their vacation spot.  Drawing by the little ones who have not learned to write.

Question:  If your child asked you, “How can I be a better son or daughter, what would you tell them?

Answer:  Just let me know you are there by any and all means.  Don’t have a schedule, just call or write for no reason other than to say, “I love you.”

Question:  Other than mail, what have your children done in the last 5 years to make you happy?

Answer:  Continued to support me in my musical endeavors.  Given me a trip I had not thought of taking.  Just coming together as a family on holidays and birthdays.  Always saying, “I love you” before we hang up the phone.  Letting me be the matriarch when I know they have different views of certain matters.  Remembering with me special days that no longer can be celebrated because of the death of a spouse or family member.

Final thought: A little time, a little thoughtfulness and to be told “I love you” seem to be the simple keys to making many seniors happy.  Could one of these things make someone you know happy today?

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