40 Notes That Shift From LOL To Full-On Tears

Life’s most unforgettable messages aren’t always delivered with a speech—they’re scribbled on napkins, tucked in lunchboxes, or stuck to fridges with crooked magnets. Some are heartfelt, others hilariously blunt, but all of them have one thing in common: they linger.

This post is a love letter to those unexpected notes that hit you right in the feels. We’re talking about parents sneaking encouraging words into backpacks, roommates making passive-aggressive magic, and strangers leaving surprise napkin poetry at diners. It’s proof that even a torn piece of paper can become a bookmark in someone’s life story.

So if you’re in the mood to smile, maybe cry a little (the good kind), or just remember how powerful a few honest words can be—these 40 notes are your next emotional rollercoaster.

#1. A sticky note

Source: Kingston_2007

#2. Note found in a used record, written by the original owner’s mother

Source: Reddit User

#3. An international student hospitalised in China and the nurse who couldn’t speak English, informed him about his surgery with this note.

Source: Reddit User

#4. Confiscated this note from one of my students

Source: Intense_as_camping

#5. New employee starting today brought “brownies” in for everone with this note

Source: Riabetes94

From sticky notes on fridges to folded letters in coat pockets, these little treasures were found on Reddit threads like r/funny, r/wholesome, r/MadeMeSmile, and r/aww. What they all had in common? They made someone stop. Laugh. Cry. Or both.

There was the classic kid’s note: “I’m running away because you won’t let me wear my Spiderman suit to school. Love you, bye.” Taped to a juice box. And then there was the goodbye letter from a hospice nurse thanking a patient’s family for “reminding me why I do this.”

These notes weren’t written to go viral. They were just real—authentic moments of emotional honesty scribbled in margins or jotted down on impulse.

#6. got this note in the middle of the night

Source: JeannieRyan

#7. My 8-year-old cousin put this note up on her bedroom door.

Source: UseOnceandDestroy27

#8. My friend got this concerned note through her letterbox this morning

Source: _River_Song_

#9. Moving day. Looks like drunk me left a note for future self. I’ve been sober 4.5 years. Man that guy was a jerk.

Source: dunnkw

#10. A concerned old lady left this note

Source: Pxlkit

Sometimes, it’s just one word that shifts the tone. A sarcastic “clean this mess up, gremlin” at the top of a mom’s to-do list, followed by “PS: Thanks for being my joy.” Or a goofy love note from a husband that ends with “Come home safe. Always.”

Humor and heartache live close together. These notes prove it. You laugh at the handwriting, then suddenly, it’s hitting closer than expected.

#11. She took notes of her dad’s reaction throughout the Super Bowl

Source: BraveReddit

#12. Found this note in our front yard yesterday. Not sure what exactly what she was trying to say, but it did make me smile.

Source: ShoeLace1291

#13. Teacher said we are allow to bring single side paper for notes during final

Source: Jack114555

#14. This is the last note my grandfather left my grandma before he died. He attached it to his will because he knew that’d the only time she would find it.

Source: Reddit User

#15. A friend of mine has received this note from the guy next door…

Source: cubesnack

In a 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers found that handwritten messages trigger stronger emotional responses than typed or digital ones.

The reason? They feel intimate. Every smudge, crooked letter, and fingerprint reminds us: someone held this. Took time for this. That’s what gives these notes their emotional punch—they’re deeply, beautifully human.

#16. The note on the food pantry box I started at my apartment.

My grandad gives me these huge boxes of food from the food pantry he gets from church. They help me a lot as I’m in a little bit of a bind right now, but there’s always so much extra food that I don’t have space for or need (direly). Instead of hoarding it, I put the remainder(I take one of everything I like) and put the rest in the box in our mailroom. I add to it when I get more stuff.

It’s been a few weeks that I’ve had it up, and truthfully I didn’t think anyone would get anything from it. I go to get my mail and see this note. I cried. I’m crying now actually. I’ve been going through an EXTRA hard time this week, but to be able to still help someone made me feel so so good.

Source: GoddessKillion

#17. 12 foot skeleton owner makes everyones day. In a group for 12 foot skeleton owners people often receive notes, good and bad. Here’s a good note someone received and decided to go ahead and mark a special occasion by getting the skeletons involved!

Source: cheza_mononoke

#18. After fixing the AC in my neice’s car she gave me a thank you note with a gift card for a steakhouse. She has been trying to get me to eat healthier. I told her dad that I don’t want any money for the repair, I am in it for the glory. Favorite uncle status is a real thing in my family. Glory achieved!

Source: James_T_S

#19. Left a note on the cat

Source: gotyeah-1111

#20. This note I got on a delivery bag from a restaurant. Long story short I ordered from a restaurant named Kajun Chicken + Seafood that was “2 minutes from close” on Uber eats.

Source: 44forme

Not all notes are deep. Some are just funny little glimpses into how chaotic and wonderful people can be.

• “Don’t eat this. I licked it.” – from a sibling, probably.
• “Dear Tooth Fairy, sorry I swallowed it. Please accept this drawing of the tooth instead.”
• “Dear boss, I am sick. Of you.”

But often, right below the joke, there’s a sincerity you didn’t expect. A follow-up. A “PS: thanks for putting up with me.” And suddenly? You’re not laughing anymore. You’re feeling.

#21. Found a note inside this book. Adrian, if you’re out there – your book is in safe hands, hit me up if you’d like it back!

Source: relentlesslykind

#22. A farewell note written by a South Korean doctor when he left the earthquake zone: “To the people of Turkey who have lost their families; I apologize for not being able to save another person.”

Source: Obvious-Reputation48

#23. Petey got a note and pic in the mailbox…

Source: Choosepeace

#24. This note hanging from this Taxi drivers wheel!

Source: Ali_The_Tea_Sipper

#25. Six months pregnant on bedrest. Husband included this note with my lunch.

Source: BerniesSurfBoard

Dr. Susan David, Harvard psychologist and author of Emotional Agility, explains: “Notes create a pause between emotion and reaction. In that space, vulnerability can thrive—and real connection is made.”

Whether it’s “I miss you” scribbled on a grocery list or “You’re doing great” taped to a monitor, those little notes matter. They change how we move through the world.

#26. I put a note in my son’s lunch everyday. Today at parent/teacher conferences I found out that he keeps every one.

Source: slay_belle

#27. This guy has baby twins and it’s their first flight so he decided to hand us all earplugs with this little note.

Source: Reddit User

#28. Lovely note from my new neighbours!

Source: sailwithgrace

#29. My niece is in 5th grade and got her first love note. This 5th grader has more game than I’ll ever have.

Source: dreichert87

#30. The notes our intern leaves on our desks for us

Source: sesler79

Ask someone what’s in their memory box, and you’ll likely find notes. Not expensive gifts. Not certificates. But a birthday card from Mom, a “don’t forget your scarf” post-it from a partner, a doodle from a kid that says “best dad in the univurse.”

Because those notes? They aren’t paper. They’re proof that someone saw you. And loved you anyway.

#31. I get a note from my grandmas dog every time I dogsit

Source: shelt93

#32. My wife’s note to our graduating son vs. mine

Source: benbernards

#33. My dad has run a car wash for over 30 years. He found this in the mailbox the day after Christmas.

Source: HellsBellsBetsyRoss

#34. My wife found this love note on the floor of the elementary school she works at.

Source: mikegimik

#35. A note left on the coaster of a local brew pub

Source: neodawg

These 40 notes started as scribbles. Some made us laugh until we snorted. Others? They cracked us wide open.

We, Grumpy Sharks, believe these tiny messages are time capsules of emotion. They hold joy, guilt, pride, hope—and sometimes, they’re the only thing we have left of someone we love.

So write that note. Leave it under the pillow. In the lunchbox. On the bathroom mirror. It might just be the thing they remember most.

#36. Teacher’s note for us summer school custodians

Source: ReadingRambo17

#37. Left a sign on my car saying I was out all day and people could block me in. This note was attached when I got back

Source: tootsmefroots

#38. Came home to this note on my porch. My neighbor saved my chickens from some dogs

Source: Elsrick

#39. My friend found a photo I gave her in kindergarten. My older brother helped me write the note

Source: diaryofasamsquanch

#40. I left some chocolate in a hotel with a note saying that’s for you,have a great day. That’s what I got in return.

Source: DavidGman

These notes weren’t framed or written in calligraphy—but they hit harder than any Hallmark card. Whether it was a “don’t forget you’re loved” or a “clean the damn microwave,” each one left a mark deeper than the ink itself. That’s the beauty of honest words—they don’t need polish, just timing and a little heart.

Have you ever kept a note that still makes you smile years later? Or found one that changed your day in the simplest, quietest way? Share your story in the comments—we want to hear the memory you carry folded in your pocket.

Because sometimes, the most unforgettable chapters start with, “P.S.”