I looked at the pile of mail and paused.  This is unusual for me – I don’t usually go through the mail at home.  Kristin does an amazing job of tracking everything – bills, invitations, save the dates.  Today, I stopped.

 

There was a card sticking out of the pile.  I saw that it said “Casey” before it was covered by the Pizza Hut advertisement.  I plucked it out to find it was addressed to “Casey’s Dad.”  I don’t think I ever received something address like that, so it took me back.  I saw that it was from our South Tampa Campus Pastor, Mike Ash.  I opened it up to find a card that shared his appreciation that Casey is part of his team, how he is doing and gratitude.  I was stunned.  I received it when Mike was actually in Nicaragua.  He intentionally made time to make sure that card was received when he was being a husband and father, leading a growing, new campus and preparing to take a trip out of the country.  That is amazing and humbling.

 

Gratitude is an interesting expression.  I know that there are some out there that feel they deserve all they get.  I don’t know many people like that.  Most people work hard and they reap the benefits of that.  Yet, to go beyond that step where you leave entitlement and get to a place of thankfulness is a great movement in maturity.

 

As I get older, I have found that saying “Thank you” is one of the easiest things you can do.  One caveat – It must be genuine.  As you go through your day, look for people who genuinely helped you.  It can be as easy as the lady at the café who sold me a bottle of water or as difficult as the great airline counter agent who helped me untangle a mess of a reservation.  Both gave me something that I valued.  People are doing that all the time.  Take a moment to acknowledge that.

 

A bigger challenge is follow Pastor Mike’s lead.  I challenge you to write a thank you note to someone this week.  Think of someone who has impacted your life and thank them for it. I write thank you notes on a regular basis.  At the end of the year, I write a note of appreciation to the top five people who influenced my life in a new way that year.  It is a great exercise to think of how you have grown and to appreciate those who helped you take those steps.

 

Why are you still reading…go write note!