Actions Speak Louder

Yeah, yeah, I haven't been blogging as often as I was at the start.  What can I say?

Thank you for making room in life to let some things slide when other demands intrude.  

I was reflecting on the idea of gratitude this afternoon.  I'm trying this year to accomplish two things:

• to live with a grateful heart every day [okay, I got this]
• to write thank you notes to people every day [I am an utter failure at this]

But these are both somewhat passive.  [I could be experiencing an amazing grat-attack* and you couldn't tell by looking at me.]  I wondered what truly active gratitude would look like.  And I remembered this:

Years ago, as a fifth grade teacher, I helped a concerned mother with some applications for middle school enrollment.  I was happy to help.  Her son was bright, capable of achieving in an advanced program.  His older brother had been in and out of trouble in secondary school, and Mom wanted her younger son to have different opportunities at a different middle school outside her neighborhood boundary.  I explained to her which forms to ask for and helped her fill them out.  I signed a recommendation.  And that was all it was.  She thanked me sincerely and repeatedly.  "Gracias."

As that school year came to a close, the mother received a letter informing her that her son was accepted for enrollment on permit.  At 8:00 a.m. on the last day of school [the REAL last day, when only the teachers are there packing up their rooms for summer], the mother brought her son to school and knocked on my classroom door.  "He help you.  He can clean, carry boxes, anything." [She was having a grat-attack.]

"Sam" was ready to spend his first day of summer vacation back in our classroom packing books into boxes and boxes into closets.  He uttered not one word of complaint.  I wouldn't say he was happy to be there.  In his face was a look not of joy but certainly of willingness.  He was willing to work, to help me on her behalf.  Their gift of help was a physical manifestation of sincere thanks [a gift for which I was truly amazed and thankful].

The End, I guess.  It's the end as I know it.  I don't know the real end.  I'd like to say the boy came to visit some years later to show me his acceptance letter to university, but that didn't happen.  I hope their hard work paid off.  Maybe he'll bring me his diploma.  From med school.  It could still happen.

So, I think that's what active gratitude looks like.  Paying back or paying forward, active gratitude demands you do something because you are thankful.  Given that definition, then, I'd say that anyone who serves in mission in areas of need is perfecting active gratitude.  You are my heroes.

What did I do because God loves me?  I can thank God, certainly.  I do it all the time.  But what did I do?  Honestly, I don't think blogging is what the Lord had in mind.  Or maybe it is exactly part of the plan.  Fine.  I'll keep blogging and hope it comes to some good purpose.

What did you  do?

*grat-attack: (n.) the sudden, overwhelming sensation of gratitude or thankfulness.