The thank you letter I sent out to everyone who attended my graduation party

[Tobin S.]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for the generous gifts and for attending my surprise graduation party. It will be a day that I will always remember and it was one of the best days of my life. It is evidence that I have a good life now and I was happy to see everyone there.

Although I do have a good life now, there was a time when it wasn’t so good. I went through some really hard times starting when I got to be 20 and I would not emerge from that turmoil until I was 30. People who knew me back then say the turn-around is nothing short of miraculous. People who have gotten to know me since then would not recognize me if they met the 20-something Toby.

However, that is all behind me now and my focus is on the future. I have a good wife, a nice home, and a college education now with much more promising implications for my future employment situation and lifestyle. Finishing my degree has been hard on Jen and me at times. I’ve had to make some sacrifices with my time because I had to work so much. Jen says now I have to get back to adoring her 24/7 for the indefinite future to make up for lost time.

I graduated Indiana University with highest distinction, having a cumulative GPA of 3.952. The business degree at IU is not an easy program. What some people don’t understand about business majors is that there is a lot of math involved, a subject that mystifies many people. It was a math-based class that shot down my perfect 4.0 GPA in my next to last semester in school. I got a ‘B’ in finance. I had no idea that subject was as hard as it was.

You have to be smart to earn a college degree, but that is only one part of the equation. The other part is that you have to be willing to work hard. I’ve seen some very smart people not make it in college because they weren’t willing to take the time to put in the hard work needed for success. For that reason, you can be a genius and still flunk out of college. I think one of the greatest gifts my parents have given me is my work ethic. You can go a long way in life if you are just willing to work hard.

I better cut myself off here before I ramble on for four or five pages boring you to tears. I’ve already deleted two paragraphs. One of the great things about school is that it teaches you to communicate well. I had one professor tell me that the most important intellectual activity that you can engage in is writing. It is important to be able to write well in any profession.

Thanks again for the nice gifts and the wonderful memories that I will always have from that day. It is things like that that help keep me sane. When you have that many people in the world who love you it makes it so much easier to hold onto reality. I love you all, too.


Thank you,

Toby

(I sent that out to 26 people)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. What a great letter, my dear Tobin!

I wish I could have been at your party! I did remember that it was going on that day, and I looked at the clock to think that about now you were getting surprised.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter of your life!

Congratulations and all my very best wishes for a very successful career!

[Tobin S.]

2. Thank you dearest Peggy.

You have always been here to support me and it is very much appreciated. You have been a part of my success.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I'm really honored, my dear Tobin...

Thank you.

[lovemydog]

4. Super cool that you're thanking people who helped you Tobin S.

You worked hard toward a positive end and you deserve a lot of genuine congratulations. It will get even easier in the future for you, if you keep being honest & sincere.