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The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation for this inspirational opportunity
You may think you do, but you certainly could be surprised.
After awhile, we assume that a “thank you” floats into the air because we are accustomed to the atmosphere or the people we work and live with. But the actual verbiage–the statement itself–is often abandoned in favor of a look, a nod of the head and a whispered portion of the phrase quietly falling off our lips.
It’s not the same thing.
And even though speaking “thank you” may feel a little strange at first–generating an embarrassment that you’re overdoing it–in the long run it is impossible to say the words since they are necessary.
You will become a great leader when you speak “thank you.”
It does the following three things:
1. It establishes the gift of appreciation.
2. It’s an extraordinarily positive habit.
3. It is a powerful example to encourage people to get along without using daily pep talks.
It is our pride that stops us from being thankful, so it is our humility that will free us from the evil spirit of ingratitude.
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2824)
I arrived early.
Nothing had started popping at Messiah Lutheran.
I was sitting at my book table checking out a few details when I looked across the vestibule and saw the bulletin board pictured above.
My first instinct was to chuckle since I was peering at a snowman while abiding in Panama City, Florida. But I guess because it was Sunday morning and my thoughts had become a bit introspective, I considered the snowman.
It isn’t, you know–a man, I mean.
If you came across a snowman and decided to melt it and free the human being inside, after extensive warming, all you would end up with is a puddle.
There’s nothing within.
It’s an imitation of life–using lumps of coal, a broom, a button, a scarf, a carrot and a top hat.
But it got me wondering if there are frozen people crusted over by the iciness of our culture, who really are more than just snowmen. Is it possible to become so chilled by indifference that you live beneath inches of ice?
Well, I certainly see it in politics.
Freezing out your competition and appearing above the fray, free of fault, seems to be the “call of the wild” in Washington. But I fear if the real heat of pressure and responsibility fell upon any one of them, they would sink into a drippy mess.
How about entertainment?
What could be more hypocritical than a bunch of snowmen in Hollywood who think they are so open-minded and liberal, who make a stand against guns–even as they use pistils, automatic rifles and any number of instruments of mayhem to kill thousands of human beings in their plotlines.
Then there’s religion.
Seems to me that we have sunk to the position of the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, who spent their time counting cups, cleaning plates and decorating their robes.
Snowmen.
Nothing really left inside–just a cold form of what they once might have looked like.
So as I prepared to share with the folks at Messiah, I was reminded of the sarcastic statement of the angel, speaking to the women who came to the tomb to embalm Jesus: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
I had to ask myself a two-part question:
The good news is that Messiah lifted my spirits.
Although at first they treated us as strangers, our hearts soon burned within us, taking away the frigid fear.
It was powerful.
It was good.
It was hopeful.
And unlike the snowman on the wall of their bulletin board, what I discovered were human beings suffering from a little hypothermia from being exposed to too much cold. So here’s the better news: We can warm up society and find out where the snowmen are and where the people just need to come in out of the elements.
1. When you see somebody doing a good job and you know they make minimum wage, give them a buck and a word of encouragement for their extra-mile efforts.
2. When you’re in the doctor’s office, instead of pretending to read an out-dated magazine, attempt to strike up a conversation with a nearby human being and see where it takes you.
3. Let “thank you” come off your lips more and more easily.
4. Lead with a smile long before you come face-to-face.
5. Appreciate the small things and be amazed at how the big things begin to take care of themselves.
6. Sit in your quiet, staid church and clap your hands during one of the hymns and see if anyone joins you.
I could go on and on.
Here are two dangers in life: falling under the spell of the deep freeze, or believing that you have no power to thaw it.
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2537)
“G-Pop, why do you say ‘thank you’ so much?” the grandson asked.
Before G-Pop could answer, the young boy followed with yet another question. “And why do you say ‘excuse me’ when you didn’t fart or burp?”
G-Pop swallowed a laugh, for after all, these were serious questions.
G-Pop: Do you remember when you learned to tie your shoes?
Grandson: Sure. Who wouldn’t?
G-Pop: Good point. Who taught you?
Grandson: Mom. Wait! No, I remember. It was Dad.
G-Pop: What if he taught you how to tie them and you walked away and didn’t practice?
Grandson: I guess I’d forget.
G-Pop: Exactly. Of course you would. And once you forgot, you’d start to think it was no big deal. Pretty soon your shoes would stay untied and one day you’d trip over your laces and fall down flat on your face.
Grandson: Not if I wore sandals.
G-Pop: That’s true. But you don’t wear sandals all the time.
Grandson: Right. What has that got to do with saying thank you?
G-Pop: It’s called manners–and it’s the manner in which I choose to live. So I say thank you all the time so I won’t miss a moment when a thank you is desperately needed. I say excuse me so folks will know I appreciate them for putting up with my interruptions.
Grandson: It sounds dumb.
G-Pop: Probably. But you know what’s dumber? Wondering why somebody hasn’t thanked you when you never say it yourself.
Grandson: Yeah. This kid at school didn’t have any lunch so I gave him half of my sandwich. He never thanked me.
G-Pop: How did it make you feel?
Grandson: Mad.
G-Pop: I’ll bet you he thinks he said thank you because it crossed his mind but never made it to his lips.
Grandson: Why?
G-Pop: Good question. I guess if we don’t practice, we aren’t ready to perform. So when it’s time to say thank you or excuse me, we block it, thinking that it’s dumb or unnecessary.
Grandson: I do that.
G-Pop: So I practice. Even if I bump into a piece of furniture, I say excuse me.
Grandson: Now, that is dumb!
G-Pop: Listen…it’s okay to talk to a chair as long as you don’t think it’s talking back.
Grandson laughs.
He said, “Thank you, G-Pop.”
It was a good start.
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The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 