Is there a Statute of Limitations for Notecards?
A weird thing happened to me today. I was working on one of my major 2006 goals “Do a whole house cleaning” and found a sealed notecard on my desk. It had the name of a friend written on the front of the envelope. I knew I hadn’t written the notecard within the past few weeks (the height of the papers stacked on top of it attested to that). But I couldn’t think of a reason why I had written the note.
My first inclination was to open the note to see what it was for. But I realized that if I did that, then chances were good I would never put the card in the mail.
So I dug out my address book, wrote the address on the envelope (unfortunately I couldn’t find a black pen and my handwriting was different too!), put a stamp on it and stuck it in the mailbox. Oh, I also wrote a note on the back of the envelope telling my friend what had happened. Oopsie!
It’s funny that this happened today because I’ve been experiencing a similar dilemma these past few weeks.
One of my nieces just graduated from college. I bought her a graduation card and want to include a cash gift.
But here’s the problems… A few years ago when her sister graduated from college I couldn’t attend her graduation party either. I bought a card and [thought] I put a check in it. A few weeks later, however, I discovered the check was still in my checkbook. Oops!
Because I was embarrassed to admit my mistake to my niece, I tried to forget about it. But as you can see, I never forgot about it.
So now I worry that if I send my younger niece a card and check that my older niece will remember that she didn’t get anything from me and feel slighted. I certainly don’t want to hurt her feelings or for her to think I was less proud of her than I am of her sister.
I could send a note to the older niece with a check and explain what happened.
But here’s the rub… this year my own daughter is graduating high school. So if I send the older niece a check will it appear like I’m just trying to make sure that my own daughter gets gifts??
Oy… around and around I go because I made a stupid mistake several years ago.
So… Is there a Statute of Limitations on sending congratulatory or thank you notes?
I’m still not sure how I’ll handle this situation. I’m leaning towards waiting until I see my older niece this summer (we don’t live near each other) and explaining what happened in person. I know she will be gracious and hopefully we will laugh at Dingey Aunt Donna.
Is there someone you forgot to send a note to or congratulate? I don’t think it’s ever too late even if you feel silly bringing up someone’s past accomplishment. I think most people will enjoy sharing their experience with you.
And perhaps just as importantly, it will take a small burden off your shoulders.
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Good one!
I think it’s wise to explain to older niece in person later this summer (and give her the old check, if you still have it!). It’s quite understandable and chances are, she has forgotten all about it. Regardless, the fact that you care about her (and your relationship with her) enough to bring it up should be appreciated.
It’s interesting what you say about sending old cards. I recently disposed of a few unaddressed Christmas cards. I regretted not sending them, but realized that the intended recipients have probably long forgotten who sent them Christmas cards last year, anyway. More important is the ongoing relationship.