Feeling Grateful And Saying So

On this Thanksgiving Day, I’m thankful for a lot of things.  But this particular blog post is about how good it feels to express gratitude and also hear words of thanks.  I'll share two recent examples:

The first requires a little back story.  While I was in California, my dog jumped the fence at the dog sitter's.  A neighbor saw Taylor looking lost, lured her to safety, then called my number on the dog tag.  The dog sitter came and got Taylor and all was fine.  I thanked the Good Samaritan when she first called, of course, but I was eager to get off the phone so I could tell the sitter where the dog wound up.  Days later, with Taylor curled up by my side on our couch at home, I was overcome with gratitude.  What if that woman had not taken time to rescue my dog?  What if Taylor had gotten hit by a car?  What if she ran far into the woods and I never saw her again?  I picked up the phone and called the stranger to thank her from the bottom of my heart.  Though we never met, we bonded over our love for dogs.  I told her I don’t have any children of my own and the fact that she would go out of her way to get my dog to safety meant the world to me.  She was like an angel who saved my dog’s life.  It felt good for me to express my gratitude and the woman told me she appreciated my call.

The next example had me on the receiving end of nice phone call.  A week after my friend Connie's surgery, she called to thank me for all the ways I helped her, physically and emotionally.  I had blogged last week about my week as her caregiver and how it was tough but rewarding work.  How nice to get the call from her after I was back home!  She sounded sincerely touched that I took the week off of work so I could fly out and give her the assistance she needed.  Of course I didn't need a follow-up thank you call, but it sure was nice to get!

Who are you especially grateful for today and will you use this holiday to let them know how you feel?