Gracias… Danke… Merci… Tack… Grazi... Obrigado… Arigatou and any other language you can imagine. In fact, there are ten different ways to say “thank you” in Japanese depending upon the context.
I can find no nationality that does NOT have a phrase for thank you. Perhaps it is one of the wonderful things that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. To think that we consciously can utter a phrase which acknowledges what another person has done for us.
Think of all the times we say, “thank you”. I’ll bet you have said thanks to the grocery bagger, the bus driver, the flight attendant, the waiter, the neighbor who watered your plants, the child who passed the butter, the dry cleaner who mended your shirt, the executive assistant who completed the report, the UPS driver who brought the heavy package into the house, or the dentist who checked your teeth.Go on. Add more to the list.
The American holiday started when colonists held a harvest feast with local natives in 1621. It became firmly rooted in 1861 when Abraham Lincoln declared an official Thanksgiving Day in late November. But we’re not the only country to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. Nine other countries have an official holiday for gratitude.
Here’s my point. We don’t need a special day to give thanks. Imagine the feelings of contentment, peace, optimism and community that could arise if we took time every day to offer very specific thanks. Specific is the operative word. It’s not the off-the-cuff “thanks” that I mentioned above. Rather, it means being very specific about what someone has done and why it is of value to you.
I am so grateful for my administrator and head of ground operations, Bonnie Davis. Bonnie keeps me grounded, challenges my efforts, and demonstrates how much she cares about the work we do with her foresight and planning. TeeJay, my web master, creates great designs and patiently listens to my ideas. He crafts the artistic style of my biggest calling card on the web and jumps in to fix whatever glitch can often happen in the digital world. My precious husband of 37 years, my Sweet William, jumps up and down and claps his hands when I get home. He helps with so much that I don’t know how to do much related to the house. And he’s a wonderful romantic who constantly lets me know that I am his world and visa versa.
And of course, I am so grateful for you: my readers, colleagues and friends. Together we hold hands and make dust in the world, challenging each other, caring for each other, encouraging each other, and passing along positive gossip.
Enjoy the holiday. and make it a holy day!
PS: So blessed to have all but three of my children, grandchildren and Sweet William gathered around the table. Muchas gracias!!!