Writing Notes

This week I settled down to write notes, cards and letters to a long list of friends, relatives, and associates. It's something I try to do every year before school begins and our family, school, and work schedules go haywire and I find myself eating, driving, talking, and working . . . all at the same time.

Writing these notes always challenges me in good ways. I must stop, think, and consider what I want to say to people I care about.

But my wife is always the toughest. What do I say to a woman I've known since age fourteen? What do I write to the mother of my children? I find my letters to my wife are just too businesslike, even as we approach out twenty-fourth anniversary. They always go something like this . . . .

To Whom It May Concern:
It has recently come to my attention that we have been married for twenty-four years. During this time, this association has produced some marvelous results. It is my hope that our mutual association has been beneficial to us both, and I hope that our good relations may continue to grow exponentially into a third decade of profits.

Thus far our pension funds have grown faster than the S&P 500 Index, and your contributions to the bottom line have been much appreciated. The two junior partners have also helped, but one is now due for a promotion. However, I not looking to take on another junior partner at this time!

Please receive this letter as official invoice for services rendered from 1985 to the present. I trust that the next quadrennium will produce much the same results and that the cafeteria plan and other full benefits will continue unabated and that profit margins will continue rise per our agreement.

Yours truly,
Outcalt Incorporated