Since I could write, my mother has instilled in me the importance of a thank you note. I often think about those fill-in-the-blank cards that she would have me write to friends and family after occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Their adorably early 2000s illustrations and designs sparked a lifelong love for stationery–or at least that’s where I think it came from.

Today, I prefer embossed cards of the thickest paper weight possible. Custom envelope liners and fancy calligraphy pens are the icing on the cake. But I digress.

For me, thank you notes are nonnegotiable. And that’s because of the significance of a small gesture of kindness. So much gets lost in the haste of the world now, with the shortness of digital interactions and the desire for faster, faster, faster. Thank you notes require reflection, at least when they’re done well, and that’s what makes them invaluable and oh so important.

Upon the release of inRegister’s 35th anniversary issue, I–and the rest of the inRegister team–have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support for the magazine. Everything from texts and calls to letters and flower deliveries has left us at a loss for words. We couldn’t let these acts of kindness go by without a thank you. It just wouldn’t be right, even if there is no calligraphy involved.

When we started work on this commemorative issue at the beginning of the year, our primary focus was the community. A community that is so unique, philanthropic and generous that it has fueled the publication for the last 35 years. And a community that deserves to be celebrated.

We can’t thank each of you enough for all you have done for inRegister over the last 35 years, whether reading, subscribing, answering our calls for stories and even letting us photograph your homes. It is because of each of you that the magazine is a success, and for that, we are forever grateful.

I wish I could write a handwritten note to each and every one of you. But, unfortunately, I think that would take up the rest of the year, and I have to get back to work on the next issue.

I hope this note suffices, and I can’t wait for all that the future holds for inRegister and Baton Rouge.

With love and gratitude,

Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois