As we grow older, it sometimes seems that we lose touch with the people we care about. Old friends become distant memories and family members drift away into their own lives. The longer you go when you lose touch, the harder it seems to get back into contact with the ones you care about and sometimes it can even be nearly impossible, short of hiring a private investigator, if they have moved and changed addresses and telephone numbers.
It can be easy to let relationships fade if you don’t see someone everyday, but with just a little effort you can keep in touch. Staying in contact with people shouldn’t be a burden or a hassle. Most people only find the task tedious because they go so long in between contact that they feel nervous and getting in touch again, they don’t know where to begin or because they feel like they need to “catch up” and they don’t have the time to do so. Take some time in your daily routine to devote to staying in contact and it won’t be so hard for you. Make lists of all the people you want to stay in contact with and then refer to your list when you are sending out emails, cards or letters.
Magnetic Memo List – Black with Initial A list-maker’s best friend. These traditional style memo pads have a new vertical shape and a magnetic backing, perfect for hanging on your refrigerator. Set includes 2 pads (50 sheets each)
Blue Dotted Swiss Photo Pads – 4”x6” These red, white and blue memos are great for writing short notes. Your favorite photo makes these memos even more special. Sold in sets of 100 sheets (2 pads of 50 sheets each)
Take advantage of technology. Advances in technology have made it so much easier to keep in contact with people that you care about. We have social networking and of course, the cell phone. Dozens of ways to keep in touch electronically.
Email and instant messaging tools make it easy and inexpensive to send frequent communication. Use an email template – You can create an email template or even a regular letter template and then when you want to contact people on your list, change the specifics to update what you are currently doing. This saves you time and hassle of starting from scratch each time. Video chat is easily accessible and very useful. Most laptops and tablets will have a camera and a computer program preinstalled. Most of video chat programs are free to use as long as you have high speed internet access. Also many cell phone and digital phone plans make it nearly free to call the people you love and you don’t have to worry as much about high phone bills. Take advantage of the many growing technological advances that help you keep in touch.
Make sure that you stay connected with the little ones. Any younger siblings you have require special attention, because they haven’t known you as long as your parents and might not even know/understand why you’re gone. If you can’t talk to your whole family at once, be sure to ask how everyone else is.
If you go some time without contacting a person and you keep thinking you want to call them or send them a letter but you procrastinate because you feel like you need to “catch up” on all that has happened, you are only making it harder to get in touch. Just give them a call anyway or write a short note and say, “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, we need to get together soon”. Something to this effect will show that you are thinking of the person and want to say hello. Don’t get trapped into thinking you have to make excuses for not writing sooner or explain everything that has happened since your last contact. It’s a fact of life that people are busy and forgetful. Make quick calls to someone when have a few minutes to sit down and relax for a bit. Call your friends; it takes no more than a “how are you?” or “what’s up”. Ten minutes on the phone can mean so much to a loved one, but doesn’t take more than the 10 minutes of your day. Even if you can’t talk for a long time, a quick call to say hello will keep you in touch. Don’t be afraid to say “I only have 10 minutes; I just want to say hi” Always ask how things are going. They’re going to want to let you know what’s up, any big news in the family.
Go classic with the hand-written letter. Especially if parents are older, it warms their heart to get a personalized letter from you. Make sure that you update them with any news. Always ask how things are going. They’re going to want to let you know what’s up, any big news in the family. What’s going on in your life and any other things that you may want them to know. Even the small things that happen to you could mean a lot to people who miss you.
Espresso Hand Bordered Correspondence Cards Caffeine-free but rich in flavor, and perfect for expressing your thoughts. Try these correspondence cards hand bordered in Espresso ink with one of our new optional Cheetah lined envelopes for an extra touch of style! Ink Colors: Espresso, Hot Pink, or Sky Blue Paper Color: White or Ivory
Design Your Own Correspondence Cards Just your style! These custom heavyweight correspondence cards are available in your choice of design, typestyle and ink color. Set includes 50 cards and 50 plain envelopes Size: 6 1/4″ x 4 1/2″
If you have a hard time sitting down to write a traditional letter, proper etiquette says that you can type it instead. While it may not seem as personal as a handwritten letter, it’s certainly better than not writing the person at all. You can also get personalized or decorative stationary to print your letter on. Create a blog- You can use an individual blog to talk about your life so friends and family members can keep track of you or you can create a family blog and allow different members of the family to use it to share photos, updates and more.
Blue Sheaffer Pen Blue Sheaffer® ball point pen features a lovely, almost frosted look. Makes a superb gift add on to any box of elegant stationery.
Bold Bordered Post Cards Send your quick hellos and short reminders on these boldly bordered postcards with matching personalization. Border & Ink Colors: Red, Blue or Green
Send a holiday card to everyone you’d like to stay in touch with. When you send cards on holidays and birthdays it shows that you remember the person and are thinking of them. It can also be a good icebreaker if you have not talked in some time. You can also get some “just because” cards and send them out randomly in between holidays to say hello.
Always remember the importance of staying in touch with the people you care about. Try not to get so wrapped up in your daily lives, jobs and other responsibilities that you forget parents, siblings, close friends and other people that are important to you.