How important is it to stay in touch with those you hold near and dear? Consider Proverbs 11:25 which says, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” And don’t you agree with Auden’s statement: “And none will hear the postman’s knock without a quickening of the heart. For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?”

All it really takes is a little effort to let others know you would never forget them. Maybe some of the following tips and fun ideas will inspire you:

Don’t throw away that artwork.

Though you may feel a bit inundated with the sixth picture of a leprechaun to come home this week from first grade, anyone who knows and loves your child will be thrilled to receive a piece of original artwork in the mail. Keep a stack of all the extras and cart them to the post office once a month or so.

The same goes for homework.

My husband’s grandmother is a retired schoolteacher and she gets a huge kick out of going through a bundle of old worksheets and essays from her great-grandkids. We also send school and office newsletters to family members now and then so they’re in the loop even if they can’t be here.

Dust off the tape recorder.

One year for Father’s Day I recorded our family doing such things as reciting a poem, singing a song, playing an instrument and shouting “Hello!” You can use the video camera, of course, but there’s something special about just hearing voices without the distraction of the pictures.

Start a family newsletter.

My mother began a cousin newsletter several years ago for our group of ten cousins. She collects information about lost teeth, school programs and other interesting tales from each family and compiles it into a monthly newsletter. It is a blast to read and keeps us all intimately connected. It’s also wonderful to dig out the old copies and relive important milestones. I probably would not remember what my son’s favorite ice cream flavor was at age 4, but it’s documented forever thanks to my mom.

Pick a holiday and make your own family-wide tradition.

I started helping our kids make homemade valentines for the family years ago. Now it’s something we all look forward to and I sometimes plan for months. We’ve made hand-written poems, funny-face photos, recorded cassette tapes, and fashioned hearts out of just about everything I could think of. You could do the same at Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving or any other holiday.

Set aside a time for each person to talk on the phone.

Instead of always passing around the phone so that each person gets three or four minutes of long-distance time, once in a while give it to just one person and let the chosen one have a long, detailed conversation. Just keep track so that no one gets left out!

Mandate thank-you notes.

Though we may have thanked the gift-giver over the phone, we always try to jot a note of thanks anyway. This teaches letter-writing skills, courtesy and is always a pleasure for the recipient.

Does the task still seem overwhelming? Well, maybe it is another thing to add to your long “to-do” list. But just remember what good ol’ Thoreau said: “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”