Port Leyden Native, Napkin Notes Dad Invites You to Join 21 Days of Thankfulness

Port Leyden native Garth Callahan, better known as the Napkin Notes dad, doesn't know how long he has to live. What he does know, is he's thankful for the life he does have and how to make it matter.

After being diagnosed with kidney cancer 5 years ago, Callahan wrote 826 notes for his daughter so she's have one in her lunch every day, whether he was here or not and know she mattered. Now he wants others to be thankful for the people in their lives with 21 Days of Thankfulness.

Thankful doesn't seem a strong enough word for what Callahan is feeling. The average mortality rate for metastatic kidney cancer is 12 months, 16 with treatment. "I'm just about to start month 32. My doctors are flabbergasted," says Callahan. "They don't really have a plan. Outside of treating the side affects, we don't have much to talk about."

The idea for 21 Days of Thankfulness came to Callahan after an encounter at his daughter's school. "One of the mom's said 'I don't know I could do what you do.' I never really thought writing notes was a challenge," says Callahan "So we are challenging people to write 21 notes, one a day, from November 4th to Thanksgiving." There's even notes at 21DaysofThankfulness.com, so if you're stuck you can copy what's written.

Callahan hopes the impact will not only be felt by those receiving the note but by those writing it too. "Imagine a manger writing 21 notes for various employees and how that would change the relationship between the employee and the company."

People started following Callahan's lead after Napkin Notes went viral and it's making a difference. He says a mother wrote to him saying she put notes in her daughter's lunch but didn't hear anything back. "She wasn't sure she was getting through until one day while cleaning, she found all the notes her daughter saved."

Give thanks for the people in your life this holiday season and commit to writing 21 notes during 21 Days of Thankfulness, November 4th through Thanksgiving. "It doesn't have to be Shakespeare. I just has to be sincere and from the heart. It can be as simple as have a great day," says Callahan.

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