We’ve just come off a 4 week period of giving thanks. From Thanksgiving in November through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays we’re reminded in so many ways of the importance of gratitude and of counting our blessings. I hope you’ll indulge me one more message on this theme.
A friend sent me an editorial that appeared in her local paper following Thanksgiving. The writer, Paul Sassone, wrote that during the holidays we typically recite a list of things for which we are grateful: family, friends, health, home, etc. He goes on to say, “But that’s all a little self-centered, don’t you think? MY family, MY friends, MY health, me, me, me. Yes, I’m thankful for all the things that make MY life better for ME. But maybe we should flip the perspective. Instead of, What am I thankful for, maybe a better question is: Who is thankful for me? Not what do I get, but what do I give? Perhaps, during the holidays, we can be thankful for making others thankful for us.”
I always make a point of saying thank you. Thank you to my wife, my kids, the folks who deliver the newspaper and the mail; the fellow at QFC who bagged my groceries. But Paul Sassone has made me think about not just feeling and expressing gratitude, but actually making a point of engaging in behaviors that will make others feel grateful for me.
One group of people who accomplish this everyday is the caregivers of Family Resource Home Care. These individuals, despite the hardships many of them have faced in their lives, live the message that Paul Sassone wrote about and I’m humbled and inspired by them. We and our clients are more than grateful to them.
Maya Angelou once wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our caregivers make our clients feel safe, appreciated, listened to, and important. Because of what they do every day of the year, our clients are thankful for them. And in addition to how thankful we in the Family Resource office are for our remarkable caregivers, we also know too, that because of the wonderful organization we’ve built, our caregivers and clients are thankful for us. A double blessing of giving and receiving.
photo credit: As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them via photopin (license)
