You want your letter to be sticky. To have your stories and your ideas stick with your grandchildren. If they read it and forget everything you wrote two weeks later, then its impact will be minimal. You want them to remember what you wrote. You want it to help them. This “stickiness” can be accomplished in three ways.

One is to tell stories that they will remember. This is done through emotion. They will remember what you wrote if you can touch their heart. Write stories that move them emotionally.

“Good stories have a way of staying with us for a long time. That’s why the best teachers and speakers use them so often.”

Hal Urban

A second way is to give them portable bits of wisdom. Give them memorable quotes or maxims. A great maxim will be remembered throughout a person’s life. These become very effective when they can be used to summarize a story you tell. The more they are repeated the more they will be remembered.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

“Faith will move mountains.”

“God helps those who help themselves.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

A third way is to provide new words or expressions. One of the most popular books in the last 100 years is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. In that book he writes about a concept he calls “major definite purpose.” It is about clarifying in your mind and in your life one singular aim or goal. He repeats those three words over and over again in the book. You remember those words and that concept long after you finish the book. Create your own new series of words. Create a new concept like “sticky letter.”

Using these techniques, you can make your letter stick in the minds and hearts of your grandchildren. They will carry your moving stories and your memorable wisdom with them. Your words will help them because they remember them.