I placed an order online with Wal-Mart and due to whatever happened, by the end of the day I had duplicate orders going to two entirely different places.  The process that ensued for the next week required both my staying in the process and Wal-Mart doing likewise.  Yes, it was an inconvenience for me, to say nothing of not wanting to pay a duplicate bill for extra items there was no need of, but Wal-Mart too did their part, and in the end I was fully reimbursed, which I appreciated.  Online shopping brings online responses from merchants, and the back and forth emails were multiplied given the situation, along with a few phone calls.  In the end, with the duplicate order returned to Wal-Mart and a reimbursement applied to my credit card account, I attempted to send one more email to simply say, “thank you,” and I did so in capital letters – “THANK YOU!!”  I was truly sincere in my short and simple message, but it seems by the response from Wal-Mart that I then received that they weren’t quite sure what I meant.  So, to avoid being labeled ungrateful or sarcastic, I replied again, and went to greater lengths to express my appreciation.  The second thank-you note appeared successful, because, yes, I did get another response from Wal-Mart, and they seemed to understand.

Gratitude needs to be expressed.  And it doesn’t require anything more than a simple, “Thank you.”  And in return, it simply needs to be accepted.  Neither the giving nor the receiving needs to be complicated by verbosity or awkwardness or a false humility.  Two little words can let someone else know they were appreciated for caring, for giving, for taking the time, for thinking of you or of your need in a special way.  And the recipient of the thank-you doesn’t need to expound on all the why’s and wherefore’s of giving!  My little grandniece has an appreciative spirit, and she expresses it well.  If I give to her, her excitement expresses volumes, but she simply says, “Thank you, Grandma,” and the warmth of those two simple words and the warmth of her countenance can melt my heart.  I listen to her pray, and she expresses thanks to God in the same way.  She contemplates all the goodness He has filled her life with, and as she names those gifts, she simply says, “Thank You, Jesus.”  I remember the years when my oldest son was very young, and he did the same thing.  Simply and with a heart of appreciation, he would name the gifts that God has given, and simply say, “Thank You.”  Yes, he could name all the animals and all the people that were significant in his life, but that only stirred my own gratitude.

So whether we say it to others, or we say it to God, we need to vocalize those two simple and powerful words.  It requires that I pause long enough to acknowledge the gift, but in saying, “Thank you,” relationships will be energized and deepened, and sometimes, they will even be healed.

– Bev