Now that the term say has been descriptively defined we can focus on two other words in the subject, "Thank You." Thank You is the phrase used to express gratitude. It is a polite expression of one's gratitude - being grateful, thankful and appreciative for benefits which please. Early in the lfie of a child being pleased is primary. He may quickly learn the value of expressing gratiude to let the person extending to him benefits know that he appreciates the offering. The meanng of Thank You is generally understood by all, even people who seldom say Thank You. People may not say Thank You because of certain emotions such as anger, guilt, anxiety, and so on, that blocks or interferes with their positive emotions such as joy, peace and feeling love which evoke Thank You in response to an act of kindness extended by others.
    Early in my life, including my young adult years, I seldom expressed gratitude, certainly not enough to the people who gave me so mch that rearlly accounts for my survival  and prevented me from becomeing a statistic, a casualty or indulging in self-destructiveness. They made it possible for me to contribute to expanding not only my own consciousness but the consciousness of other people, sometimes introducing them to hidden worlds, especially through my speaking and writing.
      I still remember, after more than a half century, the words of Dr. David Crockett, a professor at Alabama State College who during my second year in college after reviewing the theme paper I  had written he said to me, "You have potential to be a writer." He encouraged me to pursue writing. He also pointed out how he and I had been raised in similar environments where we had to learn correct grammar after having first learned to speak incorrectly.  Many times since our encounter I have thought about his words of encouragement. I have also recalled time and time again that I did not express my thanks to him.
     Too often I have been like Little Jack Honor as expressed in this nursery rhyme:
                   LIttle Jack orner
                  Sat in a corner,
                  Eating a Christmas pie;
                  He put in his thumb,
                  And pulled out a plum,
                 And said "What a good boy am I!"
     Noticeably, Little Jack Horner did not help to make the pie. With his thumb he pulled out a plum and for that he praised himself.  How much better it would have been for him to say   "Thank You" to his mother who probably made the pie. I call the Little Jack Horner Complex that I had much too long before I realized the value of being grateful and saying Thank You. I  thank you God that I am now able and willing to say Thank you for acts of kindness I receive be they large or small. I Say Thank You to other people most days and to God every day whcih includes saying grace before I eat, even if I am having a cup of tea at McDonald's. Most of my meals are banquets and I attribute that to being thankful for my food.
        The parable of the Ten Lepers impresses me greatly. I have never interpreted it to mean that only one of them came back to thank Jesus as I have heard emphasized in sermons and by some people not in the clergy. It is true that one of the ten immediately came back and thanked Jesus for healing him. His return brought this response from Jesus:
             "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are
         the other nine?...then he said to him "Rise
         and go, your faith has made you well."***
     It is highly likely that the nine otherformer lepers came back later to thank Jesus. Surely, they were grateful for being healed. Perhaps, they had hurried home first. But a valuable lesson to be gleaned from this parable is: the importance of expressing gratitude immediately to the person who gave you a benefit. Oftentimes a Thank You delayed becomes a Thank You deneid. We dare not take an act of goodness or kindness extended by another person for granted. When we express our thanks to the person who helped us it refreshes that person's soul and he is made aware of a person who has a kind disposition and grateful heart. The person expressing a Thank You is doubly blessed, one time for having blessed another person and another time for blessing himself. Like love, saying Thank You, returns better than it was before it was expressed.
     When I focus on Nature, as I often do, I am overwhelmed with its aliveness and beauty that surrounds me. Then, I am compelled to say to the Creator "Thank You God." Appreciating Nature means that there is never a day when I am not in the disposition to say Thank You God for this day.
     If you have not ben saying Thank You, or seldom said it, you may want to become more aware of the many opportunities you have to say Thank You. In doing this you will discover that there are few things that you can say which positively impact your lfie as much as saying  Thank You.
    Saying Thank You may be supplemented with sending an email or a text, a facebook or twitter message, making a telephone call or sending a greeting card. But be very aware! None of these medias or all of them combined are not as effective as it is to say Thank You. Remember, using secondaery means, those other than saying Thank You is like getting your love by phone. Yes, I hear you. "They are not good substitutes." I agree.
     Regarding your ingratitude, let it not be asked of you: "Were you not also blessed?...and did not return to say Thank You."

*Gen 1:1-2
**Luke11:1-2
***Luke 17:17 & 19

Copyright 2014 by Uriah J. Fields

www.uriahfields.com