“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone”
~ G.B. Stern
With thanksgiving tomorrow, though I’m not American, I think it is so important to remember to be thankful.
To say thank you.
To be grateful.
I have some family in America so I can use that as an excuse to eat copious amounts of pie tomorrow, right?
Some of you may know that I work two evenings a week as a manager in retail. Part and parcel of the job is being polite and thanking customers, for their custom and let’s face it, for their money. Though quite often I find that I’m thanking people after they’ve been rude to me and even more often, I’m finding that I’m not being thanked. Some people may say that it is my job so I don’t really need to be thanked, but I think saying thank you is everyday etiquette, a simply courtesy that takes just a moment. It costs nothing, not even effort. It is a phrase that is pretty commonplace but it’s never unwelcome, and it can mean so much.
Why is it that saying thank you is so important (to me anyway) 😉 ? Why do we feel so hurt and let down when someone doesn’t thank us? Isn’t it just an empty ritual? A reflex almost?
I think that ‘thank you’ has something truly magic about it. Like sorry, it is just words, but they act as shorthand for so much more. Thank you shows our appreciation and gets across our gratitude. But even more than that, it is a sign of respect to the person who has helped you. It is an indicator that you do not take them for granted, and basically an acknowledgement that they matter. There is so much negativity in this world that a simple thank you can have far reaching positive affects.
Just like people all over the US in a few days will be giving thanks for the country they live in, the history they have and the harvest, so should we. Everyday.
Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? It is something that I want to instil in my children – being grateful is so important.
Rebecca x
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I absolutely agree! Saying thank you is a dying art and it shouldn’t be! My boys are 2 and 4 and both say thank you as a reflex and if someone thanks them they respond with ‘You’re welcome’. I think manners in general are severely lacking at times these days sadly!
PS: Visiting from #sharewithme 🙂
Thanks! That is lovely to hear 🙂
I also agree about saying Thank you. My son has autism and a speech delay, but some of the first words he learnt were thank you. I made sure of it. I think saying Thank you and being thankful are different things, but I agree we should all practice gratitude wherever we can. even when its really hard (and customers are rude – I remember those days!)
Funnily enough we are going to our first Thanksgiving meal this year (as my friend is American and has invited us). I’m looking forward to the pie, but the thing I’m most looking forward to is hearing what everyone is thankful for!
Enjoy! I’m jealous 😉
A little gesture like saying thank you can go such a long way to making someone’s day. You don’t know what’s happening in their life; whether they are alone; struggling to cope with something; or one straw away from being broken. I try to be nice to everyone I speak to because it might mean more than just a kind word to them #sharewithme
oh what a beautiful post of giving thanks. I have been more emotional and reflecting this year since Thanksgiving with my little family. It’s such a great time to focus on the important things whereas xmas usually gets wrapped up in presents. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme