First Thank You in 50 Years

--by sanserif, posted Sep 30, 2008

In my keynote speeches and workshops, Care is an acronym I use for the elements of a caring, creative, joyful workplace and home. The “A” in CARE stands for “Appreciation for ALL.”

As I speak about appreciation, I use this quote by Albert Schweitzer:

"Sometimes our light goes, out but is blown again into a flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light."

Then I ask my audiences to please shut their eyes and think about someone, who at some time in their lives, has rekindled their inner light. I leave the room in silence for several minutes, and it is always a profound experience as they remember the Joy they received from being appreciated by someone when they needed it the most. Afterwards, I ask them to write down the name of the person they thought of and to commit to their own act of appreciation letting that person know in the next 72 hours that he or she was thought of. I suggest a phone call, a note, or even a little prayer if they are no longer living.

After one moving session, a gentleman came up to talk with me and thanked me for creating a new awareness in him. He said he thought of his eighth grade literature teacher because she was everyone’s favorite teacher, and had really made a difference in all of their lives. He planned to track her down and let me know what happened.

One afternoon nearly two and a half months later I received a call from him. He was choked up on the phone and could hardly get through his story. He said that it had taken him nearly two months to track his teacher down, and when he finally found her, he wrote to her.

The following week he received this letter:

"Dear John,

You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I am 83 years old and I am living all alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My family is gone. I taught 50 years and yours is the first “thank you” letter I have ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter until the day I die."

He just sobbed on the phone. He said, “She is always the one we talk about at every reunion. She was everyone’s favorite teacher- we loved her! But no one had ever told her, until she received his letter."

Thank someone who has touched your life, today!

(Excerpted from The Simple Truths of Appreciation, By Babara Glanz)

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Posted by sanserif
Sep 30, 2008
Comments (13)

Readers Comments

cassiemeadows wrote: oh thats so beautiful and so sad. Thanks for sharing! wow, thats made me think so much about all my teachers and all the people who have helped me in my life. Thankyou so much!

makesomeonesmile wrote: That is great. The smallest things can mean everything to someone else, as this reminds us. Thanks for sharing!

PayingForward wrote: This story brought tears to my eyes. It is sad to think that this woman is alone and sometimes wonders if what she did with her life was significant. I can imagine what a blessing it was to receive such a thank you note from a student whose life she impacted so long ago. This is a reminder of how important it is to let people know how much they mean to us -- if we don't tell them, they may never know. Thank you for sharing this beautiful and touching story. Grace and Peace. :)

AURELIA wrote: Don't let another moment escape you. Showing appreciation to those who have touched our lives is rewarding to both you and them. I'm home today (SNOW and ICE again)...I'll take time to send someone a note. Thanks for the reminder Sanserif :0) Smiling a Big Smile ~Aurelia

brighteyes wrote: Sanserif...the tears flow....what wonderful, heart warming and inspiring story you posted....THANKS ever so much as I had not heard it before and its a KEEPER....I was also talking to my Mom today and we walked down memory lane...because of this story, I am going to get my old neighbor's address and write and tell her how much she meant to me....SMILES ;)

JuneBug wrote: WHAT A GREAT STORY! And I did tell someone recently how much they inspired me...We all want to feel appreciated...Thank you for posting such a beautiful story!

lmil1954 wrote: I am so glad that that gentleman did that. He was a real source of blessing to the old woman, who needed so badly to receive those words from him. Thanks for sharing this story of truth and pure love! Linda:)

unknown wrote: Powerful. I sometimes wonder what has ever happened to some of the teachers I've had in my life and this story prompted pause within my own soul to think of people who have touched my life but I've never told them.

Deb wrote: This story moved me to tears. Hope you don't mind if i mention it on my blog www. Gooddeedaday. Wordpress. Com -- it's a beautiful reminder. Thank you.

harish sinjali wrote: This project is very nice. This project get to the change to youth and any person.

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