Sloan Campi here, inspired by the power of gratitude during difficult times. It’s no secret that the state of the world is mired by bad news on a near-daily basis and the impacts are felt locally.
It was difficulty in her own life that led Hoboken, New Jersey resident Ellen Webster to begin sending handwritten thank you letters all over the U.S. She’s now recognized for sending thousands of letters after beginning the practice more than a decade ago when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. According to a July 1, 2025 interview on Today, she was inspired after reading John Kralik’s memoir, A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life.
About a month ago, Monterey County’s own New Canon Theatre Company was the recipient of one of Webster’s letters. (See above).
"At the Seaside Post Office, I started to almost cry,” says New Canon Executive Director Justine Stock, describing when she received Webster’s letter.
Stock read the letter to the New Canon Board of Directors at its last meeting.
“We felt seen,” she says. “It makes you want to keep going.”
Helping others feel seen is one of three standards that Webster said she tries to capture in her letters: “I see you, thank you, and you matter."
Stock is no stranger to the difficulties of starting a new theater company in Monterey County. New Canon is planning to start its fifth season, which will be shorter than previous years, featuring a production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet opening June 11, followed by a reading and fundraiser of a new play by Brian Jean White on June 17 at the Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center.
“There’s a constant murmur that we all feel when we’re making art that asks, ‘is anybody listening?’” Stock says.
Stock and her board are grateful for the $28,864 raised by 99 donors during the 2025 Monterey County Gives! campaign. But beyond the fiscal development of her small theater company, Stock says that simple random acts of kindness like Webster’s are tremendously needed. She plans to extend an invitation to Webster to attend a production of Romeo & Juliet and meet the cast as an honored guest.
She’s unaware of why Webster chose New Canon to send the thank you letter, but should Webster come, Stock says it would close what she calls a heart space for her and her company.
“Opening that letter was a wonderful flame to ignite the season,” she says.