Thankful

Don't you just love when a child remembers to say thank you without being told. Especially if it's your child. Especially if it's said to someone else. It makes me all warm inside.
Do you remember how long it takes to teach a child to say thank you? I think I still have the tapes I made around here somewhere......"say thank you, say thank you, say thank you. what do you say? say thank you........."
It is not an easy task. We are not by our very natures thankful. We have to cultivate thankfulness. Generally, like children, we are looking for what we can do, have, achieve, or beg for next. "Got that, now on to the next conquest." There is very little stopping to savor and be thankful for what we already have.
I think it's amusing when my children have said things like, "I'm thankful that you are going to take us to Dairy Queen." Of course, it's amusing because it hasn't been offered, it is being used as a question.
I really like it when they remember something from years before and say thank you. It's really a blessing to hear, "thank you for taking me to Disney World. Do you remember........" from my kids though the trip was long ago.
Remaining thankful. Storing up thankfulness in our hearts. Nurturing it until it grows and others can see it. Deedee's parents are good examples of showing thankfulness. They tell people thank you for what they appreciate at the time of the action. And then, seriously, at random times in the future, when it comes to their memory again, they share their thankful feelings again.
Maybe that it the attitude I am talking about. It's not a quick, "thanks." It's treasuring the act or the gift or the moment deep inside and bringing it out now and again to admire it anew.
It sure feels good when someone is thankful for something that I had forgotten about. I think that we should strive to learn this skill.
It's spring nearly........along with your flowers and veggies, commit to cultivating thankfulness.
blessings,
rhonda