SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- What do you think would happen if you asked an aging parent, "What can I do to be a better son or daughter?" For author Trudy Triner, "Make Mom Happy by Mail" (Tau, Incorporated; $7.95; 2011), that question elicited an answer that was life changing for both her and her mother, Reba Jacqueline St. Onge.

On a visit to her mother's home in rural Arkansas, Triner asked what she calls "the one magic question," and her mother responded that Triner could be a better daughter, "just by sending me more mail." St. Onge explained that it made her sad when she walked to the mailbox and found it empty or with only a piece of junk mail.

"When my mother described the empty mailbox, I felt a pain in my chest," says Triner. "I imagined her face at that empty mailbox and never wanted her to feel that way again."

Triner details in her book how she embarked on a campaign that included using the U.S. Mail and UPS to fill her mom's mailbox with everything from A to Z including letters and packages, pictures and postcards, trinkets and tickets, and even dog biscuits for her mother's pet dachshund, Amber.

Some of the ideas for what to send were the result of interviews that Triner conducted with senior citizens, many of whom view the mailbox as a lifeline to the outside world.

For those who think they are too busy to engage in making a senior loved one happy by mail campaign, Triner offers some tips including: memorizing the recipient's address, pre-addressing envelopes and opening an account at your local UPS Store.

"It's easy," says Triner. "Just lick the stamp and bring joy to someone you love while there's still time."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trudy Triner has been a trainer, coach, consultant and mentor to thousands of corporate managers worldwide. During a 25 year career, Triner worked with Fortune 500 companies including Xerox, Dupont, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard and Apple Computers. Today, her focus as an author and speaker is on bringing joy to the wonderful women and men of the Greatest Generation. She is at work on a second book, The One Magic Question.

For more information: http://www.makemomhappybymail.com.

Media Contact:
Miriam Schaffer
Schaffer Communications
925-457-1027
schafferpr@hotmail.com

SOURCE Trudy Triner