Dear Reader,

​

Last month, I shared a post with gift ideas. As Father's Day approaches, I keep thinking back to the last gift I gave to my dad.

​

Every year, I struggled with what to get him. He was such a no-fuss guy. I couldn't exactly buy him a fancy shaving kit (even though I did totally buy him a fancy shaving kit) because he was always going to use those cheap blue razors with the aerosol can of shaving cream. He never wore a tie unless forced. Honestly, the only gift that he ever actually used was a robe that my sister and I bought him one year. He wore that thing until it was practically falling apart, and when we bought him a replacement, he kept wearing the ratty one.

​

In 2019, I decided to gift him something a little outside the box, and it turned out to be the best gift for me. It's called a gratitude letter. Here's how it works:

​

First, I wrote down all the kind things my dad had done for me over the years. I made it very specific and expressed how what he did positively impacted my life. I kept writing and rewriting until I was satisfied.

​

Next, I made a final, "pretty" version, which was still handwritten to keep it personal, but I made each line all different colors and added some designs to the margins.

​

Finally, and most importantly, I didn't simply give it to him when he came over on Father's Day. I read it to him. Let me tell you, if you know me and you knew my dad, you'd know that this was probably equally uncomfortable for both of us. However, it was important for me to tell him, really tell him, how grateful I was to him for everything he'd done for me.

​

This turned out to be his last Father's Day on Earth. He died just a few weeks later. When someone dies, people often have regrets about all the things they never said, and I can tell you with 100% confidence, I didn't have a single regret. It was the best gift I could have given to him and to myself.

​

Gratitude isn't just for the people on the receiving end. Being in a state of gratitude has numerous health benefits to us. In fact, it's one of the eight healthy habits I teach at every Construct Your Health wellness workshop I give. Expressing gratitude can:

• improve mood
• reduce stress
• increase resilience
• improve relationships
• increase self-esteem
• improve sleep quality
• lower blood pressure
• reduce inflammation
• boost the immune system

​

If that's not a gift worth giving to yourself, I don't know what is!

​

With much gratitude,

​

PS - Given its personal nature, I'm not sharing this as a post on my blog. Feel free to forward this month's newsletter to anyone who might appreciate it.

​

​

​