Thank You

My most vivid Christmas memory is a hint of the character of my father.  It's not a bicycle under the tree or a sled ride in the backyard, but rather a trip we took across town to give an underprivileged family a turkey dinner.  As long as I live I won't forget the face of the little boy hiding behind a door who jumped out quickly, grabbed an apple, and ran back to hiding.

Long before I understood its value, Dad taught us that service to others is the key to happiness. He would often gripe about his "jughead" tenants, but always helped them far beyond his means. My favorite story has always been his black drag queen tenant.  It was probably two years before Dad realized he wasn't renting to "a nice man and his sister."

I think helping each other is a natural instinct shared with most other living creatures.  Ants and chimpanzees have a difficult time writing checks, so they help each other in a hands-on way . . . the most rewarding way in my opinion.

I write about this today because I am on the receiving end of the service call these days.  That's not easy for me, but as I have said before, I have learned to simply say, "thank you."

When I was in college, my aunt and uncle wanted to help me financially.  Although I desperately needed it because I was going to drop out of school to try to catch up, I was too proud to take it. Then my aunt told me, "If your uncle and I were in trouble and you wanted to help us, how would you feel if we said no thank you?"  That completely gave me a new perspective.  Allowing others to help is just as important as offering service.

With each "thank you" that I say, I remember that I will return the favor to someone else someday. I'm building a lot of them, so get your wishes on a list.