Thank you

I googled "we can be thankful for" and came up with some of the following results:

-past blessings and hope for future ones

-the efforts of plant pathologists and mycologists who work to keep our food healthy

-an illness because it brought us back to the path we had strayed from

-the peaceful rest of sleep that lets our minds fly to the heights of imagination and settle into the quiet of the darkness

-God's great goodness and mercy

-the mutual aid network of fire departments

-our warm jackets and scarves

-the advances in technology that have made our lives easier

-the admirable safety record of airplanes

-international friendships and helpfulness that know no national borders or barriers in this virtual community

-the small things in life

I received over 368,000 pages when I conducted this search.  I guess this is not a lot compared to the billions of people in this world, but still, that is 368,000 different ways to be thankful.  And there are hundreds of thousands more reasons.  With this in mind, it is discouraging that I see relatively little gratitude on a daily basis in this world.  Sure, people say thanks, but oftentimes without meaning.  "Thank you" in today's world is more out of politeness than out of sincerity.  Maybe it is just easier to write down what we are thankful for than to actually put it into play in our lives.  And maybe people just don't think about their gratefulness unless it is sparked by something.  I must admit that I am this way, just like everyone else.

If you ask someone to write down a list of things they are thankful for, I almost guarantee you that friends and family will make the top of the list.  What about the smaller things?  Drinking glasses, heat, post-it notes, slippers.  And the non-tangible things - smiles, hugs, a kind word.  Aren't these important, too?  I am not denying that it would be improbable to go through our daily lives giving continuous thanks to everything and everyone around us, but it is good to recognize that they are there.

Thus, what to do?  Say thank you and really mean it.  Think about it when you say it.  Do something kind for someone.  Do something that makes someone smile.  Make someone's day.   Be grateful for them and they will be grateful for you.