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Summary: You Can Create Powerful, Lasting Messages to Loved Ones!
Review: Most people are reticent about sharing their deepest feelings, regrets, secrets, and concerns with those they love and care about. For men, this is often tied to a sense of stoicism. For women, it is often related to being uncomfortable with the emotional burdens they carry. For both women and men, there are only so many minutes in the day . . . and many people see themselves as poor speakers and writers.Yet we all love to receive thoughtful, personal messages that go beyond what Hallmark puts in its greeting cards. But we doubt our ability to create these wonderful messages. From Me to You should help you overcome your reticence to create a meaningful, lasting mark with your shared feelings and thoughts. Whether you decide to write, call on the telephone, visit in person, or create an audio or video tape, this book will make you eloquent and appreciated . . . regardless of your communications skills. A key ingredient is a suggestion that you always include five elements in each message: 1. "What go me thinking about you?" 2. "What are my positive feelings for you?" 3. "What makes you special to me?" 4. "What do I remember and treasure about our time together?" 5. "What do I want you to get from my message?" The book is filled with varieties of examples of each element (thoughtfully numbered so you can spot them. You are encouraged to sound like yourself, the way you talk, "your true voice" . . . rather than like a professional writer or a greeting card. The book also has techniques to help you get started. One that I liked was to plan to write several drafts, and write down your feelings as you write certain things. This will make you more comfortable and confident. Examples build around a number of themes: friends; siblings; children; parents; grandparents; romantic relationships; passing along favorite memories; sharing unasked-for advice; repairing bad relationships; dealing with tricky family issues after divorce, remarriage, and adoption; sharing hidden secrets; comforting after loss or sadness; sharing traditions and life lessons; building a legacy of communication; and creative ways to share. For the more awkward communications, like hidden secrets, other elements may be required -- such as why you are now deciding to share the secret . . . and why it was kept before. Although your own messages will be different from the examples, I think that the examples will inspire you to be more open as you see what others have said and learn how the recipients responded. I have a good friend who has a very tense relationship with his two sisters. I recommended this book to him, to help him write about his desire to reconcile. He has written before, to no effect, but I think this book can help him to keep trying and pack more caring into his message. I suspect that anyone can have better personal relationships if you follow this book's helpful and caring concepts. The two authors speak painfully about how they feel about not knowing much about their fathers. Who are all the people who would be greatly hurt if they did not know you well, even from beyond the grave? How can you connect to those people in a positive, loving way?
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Summary: You Can Create Powerful, Lasting Messages to Loved Ones!
Review: Most people are reticent about sharing their deepest feelings, regrets, secrets, and concerns with those they love and care about. For men, this is often tied to a sense of stoicism. For women, it is often related to being uncomfortable with the emotional burdens they carry. For both women and men, there are only so many minutes in the day . . . and many people see themselves as poor speakers and writers.
Yet we all love to receive thoughtful, personal messages that go beyond what Hallmark puts in its greeting cards. But we doubt our ability to create these wonderful messages. From Me to You should help you overcome your reticence to create a meaningful, lasting mark with your shared feelings and thoughts. Whether you decide to write, call on the telephone, visit in person, or create an audio or video tape, this book will make you eloquent and appreciated . . . regardless of your communications skills. A key ingredient is a suggestion that you always include five elements in each message: 1. "What go me thinking about you?" 2. "What are my positive feelings for you?" 3. "What makes you special to me?" 4. "What do I remember and treasure about our time together?" 5. "What do I want you to get from my message?" The book is filled with varieties of examples of each element (thoughtfully numbered so you can spot them. You are encouraged to sound like yourself, the way you talk, "your true voice" . . . rather than like a professional writer or a greeting card. The book also has techniques to help you get started. One that I liked was to plan to write several drafts, and write down your feelings as you write certain things. This will make you more comfortable and confident. Examples build around a number of themes: friends; siblings; children; parents; grandparents; romantic relationships; passing along favorite memories; sharing unasked-for advice; repairing bad relationships; dealing with tricky family issues after divorce, remarriage, and adoption; sharing hidden secrets; comforting after loss or sadness; sharing traditions and life lessons; building a legacy of communication; and creative ways to share. For the more awkward communications, like hidden secrets, other elements may be required -- such as why you are now deciding to share the secret . . . and why it was kept before. Although your own messages will be different from the examples, I think that the examples will inspire you to be more open as you see what others have said and learn how the recipients responded. I have a good friend who has a very tense relationship with his two sisters. I recommended this book to him, to help him write about his desire to reconcile. He has written before, to no effect, but I think this book can help him to keep trying and pack more caring into his message. I suspect that anyone can have better personal relationships if you follow this book's helpful and caring concepts. The two authors speak painfully about how they feel about not knowing much about their fathers. Who are all the people who would be greatly hurt if they did not know you well, even from beyond the grave? How can you connect to those people in a positive, loving way?
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Summary: I really love this book!
Review: Since my child has learning disabilities, I was hooked from the very first chapter where a father tells how he wrote to his learning disabled son in such a loving, simple way that it blew my mind! What an uplifting read. I liked the simple steps in this book and I loved all the stories about real life love and anger and the big disappointments that happen to everybody. This book shows how to work through the tough times all of us face and to do that in as few as five sentences. This book is a Godsend for me. I used to be afraid to write about my feelings because I was worried that my words would come out wrong.Not any more though. From Me to You should be a big hit with everyone who has loving thoughts like I did but feels uneasy about the right way to put them in letters for other people.
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Summary: never saw a book like this before
Review: Some books teach. Some books make you feel good. This one does both very well and it lets readers know how to be sure they have helped, touched and cherished others in lasting, positive ways. If all of that sounds like hard work, it's not! FROM ME TO YOU is a wonderful book that proves it's easy and joyful to leave others feeling better because you've taken the time to write personal messages that help them. Take it FROM ME TO YOU, this fine book will help you feel good about your time on this planet.
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Summary: Best advice after the reading this, buy one for a friend!
Review: The most inspirational book I've ever read. I turn 50 years old this month and I've always been positive about life. But after reading FROM ME TO YOU, I am even more EXCITED about the things I can pass along to others during the second half of my life!
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Summary: "Powerful, Personal Messages" from the Authors to You
Review: There are so many "how to" books on effective business writing, many of them quite useful, but there are very few books which address (as does this book) the problem of "writer reluctance" when a personal message is involved. The authors are to be commended for their own communication skills, of course, but also for their obvious sensitivity while responding to a common (albeit neglected) problem.
They organize their material within 18 chapters, each devoted to situations in which all of us have found ourselves at one time or another. For example, "acknowledging special people with love and thanks", "letting others in on what you remember about special people and times", "anticipating what others might need now or in the future", "sharing uncomfortable truths", and "helping people cope with sadness and loss." The authors fully appreciate the importance of verbal communication and most of us are much better at that than at expressing ourselves in writing. Their book offers assistance to those in need of assistance with the basic elements of a personal message. One chapter is devoted to "Messages That Grow Over Time" such as journaling, adding more to a family tree, and making oral histories; another is devoted to "wonderful messages that didn't fit anywhere else in the book but are just too good to leave out"; and still another is devoted to outstanding "message-making suggestions others have shared with us." After reading the book, I was unable to think of one important personal situation which has been overlooked by the authors. There are at least two different ways in which to read this book: cover-to-cover or go directly to a chapter which discusses a situation of special relevance to you now. Both are valid but I recommend the first approach because the flow of information (especially the examples provided) has an accumulative and valuable impact which selective reading precludes. This is not a textbook on writing nor a "how to" manual. Rather, it is an anthology of "powerful, personal messages" from the authors to their reader. Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Anyone who is eager but reluctant to send her or his own "powerful, personal messages." I think this would be an excellent gift from grandparents and parents to younger people who also have their own strong personal thoughts and feelings but may lack the assistance they need to express them effectively in writing. I conclude with what some may view as an unorthodox suggestion to parents of school-age children in (let's say) grades 5-12: present this book as a gift to their English teachers, some of whom can then devise appropriate exercises to supplement those which improve students' grammar and punctuation or their understanding of why Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius. (Why not have students write a brief expression of condolences to Hamlet, following the death of his father?) Lots of possibilities because the authors "send" an abundance of valuable "messages" from Them to You.
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Summary: Connecting with Correspondence
Review: There are times when conversation cannot convey your deepest feelings. You can hide your true feelings when talking to someone you care about. Written words can be gifts of the heart and the way you present them can make all the difference. The fact that you take the time to find a concrete way of expressing your feelings is what matters! You might be reluctant to send an e-mail or put pen to paper, however if you follow the steps in this book you will find it is easier than you think. The authors give examples of letters for every situation. These letters go beyond "polite" words and are more honest and genuine. They express goodwill or reveal deep feelings. They also communicate the importance and value of your relationship to the receiver. "Often, just the fact that a person puts time, effort, thought or originality into something to delight or help us makes a message wonderful." pg. 9 The authors show how you use five basic elements to make a message powerful, intimate, satisfying and meaningful. It doesn't matte if you want to express your feelings, give advice, forgive, answer important questions, thank someone or share a favorite memory. These five elements should be included in your letter. While this book might sound like it is an emotional roller coaster ride, there are quite a few really funny letters. I loved the story of a mother who writes down the sweet and funny things her children do. She intends to give these memories to her children. I know this was such a delight when my mother showed me her notes of what I said and did when I was very young. It truly will delight any child to know their parents cared enough to find the time to write down these memories. It also helps children remember important details of their lives. Another idea I really thought was wonderful was a letter an Aunt sent her nephew about all the wonderful books she had read that she thought he would enjoy. Of course she could have just reviewed them, yet she chose to specifically recommend books that had given her enjoyment, knowledge and comfort. Some of the letters helped bridge the distance between friends and family or helped to heal a hurt. These are real letters people wrote at a time in their lives when hurt, anger or misunderstanding left them feeling as if they were stuck on opposite sides of a tightly closed door. "Maybe the blur of our lives has left us hungry for tangible ways to hold onto what is and was-even as we move toward what will be." pg. 150 So if you want to connect with the people you care most about, "From Me to You" will show you how to share your memories, thank people who have helped you in life, apologize to those you may have hurt, inspire friends and invite people to think of you with love and a smile.
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Summary: Wish People Would Take Your Advice? READ THIS BOOK
Review: These authors know their stuff! From Me to You lets you see how to get through to people (even the stubborn ones like my husband and kids) and they made the learning part fun. I've never seen a book like this before - sort of inspirational and how-to and self-help all rolled into one.
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Summary: Simple ways to make lasting messages for the people you love
Review: This book came to life over a cup of coffee in the middle of a conversation between two friends -- a psychologist and a writer. Both of us are old enough to remember where we were the day President Kennedy was shot. Neither of us was alive during the great depression. One of us is a small, dark-haired woman who talks with her hands, listens with a smile and speaks to a stranger at the drop of a hat. The other is a tall, light-haired man who leans into his words with quiet, serious intensity. One of us celebrates Christmas. The other lights Chanukah candles. Together we followed this path of questions:"What if you thought you might not be here tomorrow? What would you say today? Why would you want someone to know that? Who would you tell? Could you create something that would help other people now and even after you are gone? What would it be?" Searching for answers, we set out from different places, for different reasons, and with different expectations. We began by telling our friends, families, and professional associates what we were trying to do. We watched their eyes grow wide, we heard them catch their breath and saw them nod their heads. They understood. They wanted to make messages for the special people in their lives too. With wonderful generosity, many of them along with the people who came to our message making workshops and even strangers we met at our favorite coffee shop made suggestions, told us their stories and gave us copies of special messages they had received from others. They also shared with us some of the things they wanted to give to their loved ones now and in the future. Our book includes nearly one hundred of these special messages. Some were written during joyful times (milestone events, renewed romance) - others were created in times of stress (illness, divorce, financial transitions) - and still others were put together by people when they were feeling ambivalent about life's events (living with stepchildren, empty nesting, impending retirement). Whether they're based on small, tender moments or on bigger, more dramatic experiences, all the messages in our book are gifts of the heart. We hope they will inspire you to create your own messages and wrap them with care so they can be passed along as lasting gifts for the people you love.
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Summary: Unsent Letters is a much better book than this one.
Review: This book has been on my shelf to review for several months, but so many events took my time and energy that I am just now beginning to find my way back to words. My dad died January 5, 2002, and I gave the eulogy at his funeral. How do you share the love and life of someone so dear, yet bring comfort to others who are also suffering this loss? This book, this wonderful book, helped me to deliver a speech that gave the joy and humor that was my dad to others. Rarely does a writer's reference book have the ability to encourage and inspire its readers or those who do not take up the "pen," to find the way to express emotions. Yet this book shows the joy and power of honest communications, and provides an easy to follow plan that helps all of us share our dreams, hopes, fears, and love with the important people in our lives. It also helps us realize that everyone is important, and to never take for granted the gift of friendship. This book is an adventure through emotions, but it is so much more. Follow the principles, write the way you speak, be yourself, get rid of criticisms, and in doing so, you become the better part of yourself. Imagine, if you could read a letter and know what the reader was feeling; this book will help you see the ways to do so because in revealing ourselves, we gain self-knowledge and confidence. Five stars are not diminished by the only difficulty I had, which was the very small size of the font. Victoria Tarrani
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