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| Writing you a Thank You! |
Have
you ever given a gift to someone and never heard a “Thank you” or heard back
from them? It is sad when that happens. Perhaps the person was so overwhelmed
with her/his busy days, she/he meant to offer thanks but never got around to
it. And then it was forgotten.
We can probably
understand and even relate to this cause because we ourselves may have fallen
into this kind of scenario. When it occurs over and over with the same person,
however, it can easily be attributed to bad manners. Or manners that were never
taught as a child.
The Finer Points in Life
“A lady worked as a
janitor in a company for many years. Now being a janitor is a pretty thankless job, which many of us might consider as a "dirty" job or at least pretty far down the totem pole. In other words, probably not a whole lot of fun.
“It happened the
company changed owners. Within a few days, the new owner wrote a personal thank
you card to every employee in the company. He had his assistant go around and
hand them out.
“When this lady
received and opened her card, she burst into tears. She asked if she could be
excused from work. Thinking she was sick, she was allowed to leave for the rest of
the day.
“They found
out a few days later she had never received even a verbal thank you from the
previous owners and management, much less a personal card. And she had
worked there for 20 or 30 years!
"So she was pretty touched when the new owner sent her a card of appreciation. She had been thinking the change of ownership was probably a good time to quit. She was planning to let them know that very day.
"Which she didn't. Because the little time, the little effort of the owner to send a little business thank you card, helped the lady change her mind."
(thank-your-stars.com)
We
ARE the Difference!
As we
can see by the story above, even the smallest act of thankfulness makes a huge
difference in a person’s life. And for the most part, it does not cost anything
to give it to someone. It only takes a little effort on our part! How do we
know what kind of day the person is having? We don’t. So just maybe a word or
card of thankfulness is all she needs to make the day bearable.
In
1992, the book, “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman was a big hit and still
is. One of the “languages” he wrote about, affirmation is simply an
expression we can offer to another person showing how much we appreciate them.
And it can really make a difference.
Right now,
during this health pandemic, there are so many first responders, nurses,
doctors, food/grocery handlers, EMTs, ambulance drivers, transportation
drivers, etc., etc. that could use our word of appreciation. We can all be
aware of what an effort they are putting forth to help us--they deserve a huge “thank
you!” Do not just ignore their dedication. Get creative and find a way to affirm
them.
Each
Moment of Our Lives
Our heavenly
Father (God) has given us individually and collectively so many great gifts we cannot
even count them all. He loves us, provides for us, watches over us, and protects
us without us even knowing at times. He is there with us through each moment of
our lives—good or bad. How have we thanked Him? How often? Even more than
anyone else, He deserves our gratitude.
It is
not difficult to talk to God. There is no need for complicated or memorized
prayers. We just open our mouths and start talking as if we are talking to our
best friend. He IS our Best Friend! He already knows us intimately because He
created us in our mother’s womb. Just try it soon. He is waiting for that “Thank
you!”
“Be
thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to
Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT).
