Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving day has come and gone, but of course thanksgiving is more than a day, it is a way of life. How, when, to whom and for what do you say thank you?

The late Dr. Fulton Oursler told the story an old woman named Anna who took care of him when he was a child. She was a former American slave who, after emancipation, was hired by the family for many years.

Anna expressed her thanks in a unique way. Oursler recalled Anna sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and her eyes gazing upward as she prayed, "Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles." He asked her what vittles were and she replied that they were what we have to eat and drink. Oursler told Anna that she would get food and drink whether or not she gave thanks, but Anna replied, "Yes, we'll get our vittles, but it makes 'em taste better when we're thankful."

Anna told him that an old preacher taught her as a little girl, to always look for things to be grateful for. So, as soon as she awoke each morning, she asked herself, "What is the first thing I can be grateful for today?" Sometimes the smell of morning coffee perking in the kitchen found its way to her room. On those mornings, the aroma prompted her to say, "Much obliged, Lord, for the coffee. And, much obliged too, for the smell of it!"

Years later after Fulton Oursler had grown up and left home, he received a message that Anna was dying. He returned home and found her in bed with her hands folded over her white sheets, just as he had seen them folded in prayer over her white apron at the kitchen table so many times before. Now he wondered what Anna could possibly give thanks for as she lay on her death bed. As if reading his mind, she opened her eyes and gazed at the loving faces around her. Then, shutting her eyes again, she said quietly, "Much obliged, Lord, for such fine friends."

Oursler was deeply influenced by Anna's uncanny ability to always find some reason to be "much obliged." This wise woman taught him a secret that many people have never learned: she taught him how to be happy. Gratitude for the gift of life and life’s blessings, no matter what form they may take, always brings happiness.

How, when, to whom and for what will you say “thank you” today?