30 Days Of Thanks

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Have you ever sat in a church service and felt like the pastor was talking directly to you? This happened to me back in May. Let me explain.

Ever since I made a new year’s resolution to do more acts of kindness this year, an idea had been floating around in my head. I wanted to find a way to express gratitude to people who have made a positive difference in my life over the decades. Perhaps, I decided, I could do this by writing a thank-you note to someone every day for one month.

But then I started second-guessing myself. What if I couldn’t come up with 30 people? Even if I did, how could I locate them after all this time? And what if the people receiving my notes thought it was a strange thing to do? So, I talked myself out of it.

Then, one Sunday in May, I was watching the service from my church on TV. (I couldn’t attend in person because of my impaired immune system.) The pastor spoke of a woman he knew who suffered from severe sciatica. Sometimes it became debilitating to the point of forcing her to stay in bed or in a chair.

Rather than feeling sorry for herself, she used this time to write thank-you notes to people. The story hit home for me because sometimes my cancer and its treatment limit my activity, too.

The pastor’s sermon nudged me to go ahead with my plan, and this month I’m writing a thank-you note to one person each day. Here are a few thoughts I’ve had about my project:

• I discovered a lot of joy in this challenge. It prompted me to think back over my entire life and remember the many wonderful people who have crossed my path.
• Initially, I started creating a short list of people I wanted to thank. But then I decided instead to take it one day at a time and see who popped into my mind. Amazingly, not a single day has passed without remembering someone who deserves a thank-you note.
• I chose not to send notes to my closest local friends. I didn’t want to miss someone and end up causing hurt feelings.
• In each note, I clarify a reply isn’t necessary. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to come up with something nice to say about me in return.
• It was almost scary to discover how easy it is to locate people online these days. With that being said, I’m still looking for three people. I’ll send notes to them down the road when/if I find them.
• I believe this challenge will have a positive impact on my attitude for a long time. I’ll be quicker to look for opportunities to express thanks to people who touch my life.

I hope you’ll offer your residents an opportunity to take part in a similar thank-you note challenge. Perhaps, for some, writing a note every day for an entire month isn’t realistic. But how about once a week?

Will you consider taking on the challenge for yourself, too? If everyone who reads this post writes just one thank-you note, imagine how many hearts we’ll touch. And I think we can all agree that our world could use some positivity right now!