The Honesty Concept
January 12, 2026
Hello Friend!
This week's note is about those wonderful/awful year end letters we sometimes receive in holiday cards from friends. You know the ones, a page full of news and notes about the family and all their accomplishments and travels over the past year, some with a photo or two. In general I enjoy hearing what everyone's been up to, but after reading most of them I feel what I call "Facebook depressed". Those updates are always written in picture perfect - kids are succeeding wildly, vacations have been amazing, lives are moving along without a hitch. They're just not my favorite thing. Except for one.
Every year my friend Deb sends me a letter, both sides of a single page filled with tiny type. It typically comes a few days after Christmas because she never quite gets it done before that, but it's always tucked into a beautiful holiday card and includes a photo. And I love it.
Her notes are witty and funny, and although yes, she talks about her grown up kids, her work with her students, and the trips she's taken, she also fills her paragraphs with thank-you's and acknowledgements of the people who helped her throughout the year. And she's very specific about the places she visited, the food she ate, the funny or wise things said to her that made a difference. We even hear about the not-so-good events. It's just so....Deb.
By the end of the letter I felt as though I sat across from her with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee and listened to her true voice. I've made her promise to always keep me on her letter list, no matter where I move to, and she's good with that.
I guess my personal takeaway is to remember that when I share with my dearest friends, I should always be honest. Everyone knows we have good and awful in our lives at any given time. But it's so refreshing for friends to actually SAY that! By being honest we open the door wide to real understanding and support. What a concept.
