The Impact of Gratitude
Written By Joan
October 2021
About 18 years ago, I kept commenting “Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday,†and “we should thank so many people in our lives.†I said it several times until a friend told me, “But…you never do it.†That evening, I wrote my first Thanksgiving letter – to the person who challenged me!
Since that first letter, I have written many. They have gone to a priest, a rabbi, a minister, a new business owner, my family, several friends, people I know, people I hardly know, and many more. Some years, it was one or two letters. Sometimes three or more letters.
This year, I will send a letter to the Director of a Faith Based Rehab. He is doing an amazing job and it is hard work! His son is an addict, which lead him to give up a very, very good professional career and start this rehab.
The letters are personal – from me to the person receiving it. I GIVE it to them personally, but do not keep a copy. They are a gift. They detail the reason I am thanking them and why I admire them.
One letter I wrote was to a young man starting a business. I knew him when he married his best friend and when they had their first son. The business and his marriage were great…then came the challenge. They had a severely autistic son. It has been a real job, and in my letter, I told him how well he was doing. He called me when he got it and just cried on the phone. It meant so much to him that he has it in his office. My purpose in writing the letter was fulfilled, and it set a series of acts of kindness into motion.
After receiving his letter, this young businessman started a Christmas party for his business. Each holiday, he has a Saturday morning open house. Everyone who comes brings a ham, anything else they want to share, and it is all donated to a church to give Christmas dinners to those in need. All the cookies etc. that are at the party are made by his small staff and the good will is contagious.
Last year, due to Covid, they set up tables outside his office building and greeted friends as they drove past delivering their ham and other gifts. Each car was given a goody bag of cookies as a thanks for their participation.
As the event unfolded, another business owner in the complex came over to inquire about what was going on. This year, that business is also going to host a giveaway office party. The impact of gratitude is spreading.
Know you are a blessing to someone today.
Do you have experiences or comments you would like to share? If so, please send them to Hope Through Healing at hopethroughhealing@gmail.com.
Thank you.
