Five things customers wrote in their gift notes

We read every gift note before we write it. That is the promise we made ourselves when we started offering the complimentary wax-sealed card. It means some mornings we sit with a cup of tea and fifty notes that strangers have trusted us to carry forward. Here are five that stayed with us.

"Amma, you always said the right saree finds you. This one found me and I thought of you. Wear it to my wedding. — Priya"

Priya ordered a Champagne Dusk. She added a note in the morning and called us in the afternoon to say her mother had called crying before the package even arrived, because Priya had told her what was coming.

"To my best friend on her last day as a Miss. You've always known how to fill a room. Tonight, let the saree do it first."

"Ma, I know you said don't spend. I spent. You deserve it. — Arjun"

Arjun added: "She's going to pretend to be upset. She won't be." He was right. She emailed us herself three days later to say she'd worn it to temple and received four compliments before noon.

"For twenty-three years of Sunday lunches, school pickups, and knowing when not to ask. Thank you, Maa."

"To the woman who taught me that getting dressed is an act of self-respect. I hope this saree is worthy of the lesson."

That last one made our team go quiet for a moment. We wrote it in the best calligraphy we had. Some notes deserve that.