T-H-A-N-K-S

I am thinking and writing about thanking people this week....and have appreciated the kind feedback from a few of you about the posts. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment - it is an encouragement -  and for reading the blog.

Being the creative writer I am (not!) I came up with an acronym to help us do thanking better.... 

Thank God....each morning and night and anytime in between. He is the One to whom we have the most to be thankful for, so don't allow Him to be the One who misses out on well-deserved thanks. He's also the One who can help us pay more attention to 'thanks opportunities' throughout the day, so ask Him for help to do that too.

Have a goal of 5 "thank you"s a day. Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience talks about thanking your husband 4 times a day, so those of us who are married only have to look for 1 other 'thanks' to utter each day...right? I say 'wrong' and reckon 4 'thank-yous' to our husband = 1 out of the 5 (but then I have never been good at maths!) Anyway, get creative with the thanks. It could be face-to-face, or via phone or a text or an email or a card or aerial sign writing or....

Attitude of gratitude - develop one. When we are wide-eyed with wonder at the good stuff in our lives, it makes saying thanks easier.

Notice what people are doing and acknowledge it. We get so busy...so self-focussed...so tired...that we sometimes miss the gifts we are given throughout the day. So make the effort to see the small stuff too. Things like....

• a friend who calls to say hello ('Hey...thanks for the call. Good to hear your voice.') 
• your son taking out the bin ('I appreciate your help honey...thanks.')
• the parcel delivery man ('This is hard work in the heat...thanks!')

Kind words are not easily forgotten but sadly, they are not often used. Be different in this world that says 'Get what you can, your way and too bad about the rest.'

Set the example for others, especially your kids. I am really conscious with this in raising Little j and so I say to him as we leave the grocery shop, "Say good bye to the lady and 'thanks for helping us'." Yesterday I thanked the video shop lady like this too....and she looked at me funny, but I don't care. The library lady liked it! And so did the postman.

Feel free to develop your own acronym....and if you do...let me know what it is...thanks!

What 'Thanks' Says

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, 

and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  

~G.K. Chesterton

Well said G.K.! I agree whole heartedly.

Here's why....

When we thank others we are saying - (read these slowly:)

• You are appreciated...valued...worthwhile 
• Your contribution to my life is important, meaningful, a gift  
• Your effort is appreciated, and so are your thoughtfulness and kindness, your hard work and creativity 
• Your generosity is a Godsend 
• I have noticed you 
• I value you 
• I love you and your work.

Our thanks can encourage, uplift, settle, rescue, bless and honour others. We have the power of life (and death) with our tongues so how about using thanks genuinely, frequently, widely and graciously? Today.

A Bug Bear

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you may have come across a post (or 2) with thankfulness in it. It seems to be a theme of my life and something I like to hear (and let's hope, do.)

I have a couple of precious teenaged girls who take 3 seconds to thank me after every lesson I teach. That's so nice.

I have a dear friend who says 'thanks so much' often for things I think mean little, but to her they have been a Godsend.

I have a husband generous with gratefulness and wow! that makes a huge difference in my day. To know that I am appreciated (and the things I do are too) by the one I love, is very sweet.

I have a little boy, who with a fair bit of coaxing, can say a 'ta' at the right time. It's cute...and he's going to get better at it...I hope.

So I do have many 'thanks-yous' going on in my life. But perhaps that's what makes the absence of a 'thanks' so obvious to me....and sadly, so annoying.  There have been a couple of situations in the past month or so when there has been a distinct absence of 'thanks' despite a big effort from me. And I don't like it. 

Yesterday I was about to launch into a diatribe to someone about the failings of others to say 'thanks' but I held my tongue. And as I thought about the situations over the past 16 hours, I realised I don't have to gossip about them....and I don't even have to let them get me worked up. I can just 'let it go.'*

And here's why.....because the One I follow and want to be like, faced this same situation - day after day after day..... And I am told that anything I go through that He experienced should be considered 'pure joy.'

Think about it....Jesus spent His life GIVING to others - giving time and effort and energy and emotional strength and healing and miracles and wisdom and and and..........and the ones He gave to, on the whole, never said thanks. In fact many that He gave to were the ones calling for Him to be crucified!

So I am thankful that being spit on or ignored or killed are not what I have experienced from the ones who neglect to say thanks.

And I am thankful that God is refining me in so many ways....including this one of gratitude.

But stay tuned....I have to more to say...thanks:)


* Hey...this is GREAT advice for all the struggles, dilemmas, annoyances I face!!!

One!

Little j celebrated his first birthday this week. What a special occasion...not just for him, but also, for his Mum and Dad and his grandparents too. We had both sets of grandies visit with us this week...makes for lots of cuddles, plenty of playtime and some fun conversations.

The value of family really can't be under-rated. As we move into our little boy's second year, I look back over the first 12 months and am so grateful for the support of our wonderful families.

They have called...visited...written letters...sent texts - to stay in touch.

They have baby sat, hung washing, swept floors, taken washing from the line, cooked us dinner, ironed uniforms and so many other housework tasks.

They have welcomed us into their homes for visits.

They have hugged j and told him he is wonderful.

They have hugged me.

They have continued to show us what God is like....faithful, generous, loving...

They have done so much to make the last 365+ days do-able and I just wanted to pay tribute to them today. Thanks so much to all our family...we really do appreciate you.

If you are being blessed by your family...please, don't forget to say 'Thank-you.' And if there's not much blessing happening...I am sorry.

But may all of us value our families, and never take them for granted.

What if....?

A story I heard this week got me thinking....
A friend was in a season of being challenged by God about his lack of thankfulness. One morning as he was brushing his teeth, he paused to thank God for healthy teeth...something he'd never done before. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, this thought popped into his mind: "What if I only had tomorrow, what I gave thanks for today?"

Whoa! That's worth thinking about isn't it? If this was the way life worked, what would you be waking up to today, based on words of thanks you expressed yesterday?

If you think the cupboards and the rest of life might be awfully bare, how about determining today to be much more grateful? How about asking for eyes to see and a heart and mouth to express gratitude to the One who blesses and the ones He uses to bless you?

Make saying 'thank-you' a HUGE part of your day, and I guarantee your spirit will be lighter and God will be well pleased....after all, His word tells us at least 33 times to 'give thanks.' In fact, you want to know God's will for your life? It's 3-fold, but includes giving thanks in all circumstances. See 1 Thess. 5:16-18

One thanks I have already expressed, even though it was a bit of a challenge, took place at 3.43AM this morning. This was the third time I was up to j last night (most unusual) and I could feel my frustration rising. But then I remembered the thanks theme I had been dwelling on and I simply said, "Thanks God for my little boy and that I am not buried under rubble, but I'm here to feed him and comfort him."

And those simple words made a huge difference to my emotional state and attitude. I wonder if your thanks today will do the same?