Saying Thank you

I remember DJ and Brianna always saying, "Mr. Tony, thank you for giving us a yogurt pop or fruit cup, and I would say "your welcome." Each interaction with them came a thank you or a "your welcome". Always, each and every interaction.

A few months ago, I had to be reminded of saying thank you, by them, for the kindness given to me, by others. Someone said to me, "aren't you happy to be here,"? Are you not grateful that you are not where you were, and are actually, on the road to where you want to be? My immediate answer to both questions were "yes" but that wasn't the answer. It wasn't a precise answer that I needed to give, but, it made me stop and think. No, really think.

Certainly, I was more than grateful for the kindness and sacrifice bestowed upon me but what is thankfulness when it is not expressed, and not received by the recipient. How can one express thanks while being silent, how does one know,when another's actions are appreciated, without saying so?

Being thankful is not a one-time event, thankfulness is an eternal lifetime, that spans across miles, relationships, and situations. And, in the example above, as I stopped thinking, and began talking, I said, to the person, "thank you" and since that interaction, I had remained conscious of those things that strangers, friends, relatives and others have done for me.

At the end of the day, isn't expressing thankfulness, something that is part of what we should do, as individuals within our world, and between each another?