“Thank You”s feed the world.
Being appreciated infuses joy into our body, boosts our spirits, and makes us willing and energized to do more and be more. Appreciation is the food of the soul.
You can call it many different names; acknowledgment, validation, appreciation, worthiness, love, kindness…But they all are the same. Giving and receiving these is how we heal. It sustains all our efforts. It is a reflection of love and helps us love ourself.
It’s not happy people who are thankful it is thankful people that are happy.
Thank you
When I was a young social worker, I worked for Mt Hope Family Center and taught young moms parenting skills in their homes. One time, a mother was asking her daughter to get her something. And I reminded her to say “please” and then “thank you.” The mom looked at me as if I was from Mars. She said, “It is not optional.” I found it so sad this young women, who was older than me at the time, had never learned what those words meant. Sadly, I was sure she had never been appreciated growing up.
When was the last time you received or given a thank you? I try to give thank you’s every chance I get, but I am sure it is hardly enough. I will redouble my efforts today. You can never say “thank you” enough. It is like telling people they matter, are important, worth your time, etc, etc, etc.
“D. Jeannine Calaba, author of The Power of Appreciation, reports that when people feel thankfulness, good things happen to their minds, hearts, and bodies. They sleep better, they are more content, they are more patient, they feel more fulfilled, and are more supportive to those around them, they have a bounce in their step. People who practice gratefulness have less depression, anxiety, envy, and jealousy.” From Alexandra on Thanksgiving 101.
Thank you is love.
Here are some recent thank you’s I read lately (only a couple were to me):
All their kindness has cushioned the blow of this loss. It’s as if the whole town of Montclair has us enveloped in a big, warm hug. (THANK YOU ALL!) We are so fortunate to live in this amazing community. (Lisa Rosenberg’s house was burned down.)
I just arrived home. Thank you so much for the wonderful time and all the love. You always make me feel special.
Ohhh! Thank you. Thank you for that hug and squeeze =). I am so thankful for our LOVE. Yupper de do day..can’t wait to talk to you!
I just wanted you to know how hard Leo and Jack worked yesterday during the boat house clean up. They were amazing! They took on some of the messiest, hardest jobs, and never complained and never let up. I really appreciated all their help. You should be very proud of them.
I am so happy the worker gave me you. We make a great team.
This was the most wonderful classes and groups of people I have ever had the great good fortune to spend time with. Thank you all for your support as I move forward and know you have mine.
Thank you my family and friends for all your kind words and prayers that helped me through this difficult time xoxo
I am so grateful for your calm wisdom.
I don’t have the words I would like to have to tell you how fortunate I feel to have you in my life.
You have a very positive, strong Earth energy and provide grounding to group dynamics. I appreciate that about you each and every day.
***I am important enough to be heard and respected.*** I love this sentence SO much. It should be shaded, underlined, and placed on everybody’s bathroom mirror.
Thanks for giving me this chance.
’Cause everything that doesn’t make sense about me, makes sense when I’m with you.
I am strengthened when Spirit reaches out.
Holy cow. Wow. You have made such a difference in her life.
Your kindness healed me.
Thank you to all our Veterans for your sacrifice.
Thank Somebody
It is Veteran’s Day today. Thank a Vet. Their souls need it.
Thank whomever you can think of to thank today. Send an email, a text, a written note, leave a voicemail, tweet, write on someone’s wall, WhatsApp a friend….send some love and gratitude out there. I promise, promise, promise it will come back.
Tell me a “thank you” that you’ve heard (or given) lately and how it made you feel.
Remember: When someone cannot take a compliment, that means they have been unappreciated in their life and need more compliments.
Please share!
Great post, Jodi. My daughter is very appreciative. She is even making a card for the Tooth Fairy, who came last night so she can thank her. It’s so important to let people know we appreciate them, and not just when they do something nice. Sometimes the best time to say thank you is just because. I have so many people who do support me, and I’m thankful every day that they’re in my life.
Kelly Hashway recently posted..Touch of Death ARC Giveaway #2
You are a sweet, sweet mom! I love those kinds of stories.:)
I can’t remember any special thank you I said, because it’s something that is part of my daily life.
Every person is free, and when someone chooses to do something nice to another, thanking him will only encourage him to do more.
Although I’m one of those who get embarrassed by a compliment or a “thank you”, it still feels so nice.
I want to say thank you today to everyone in my life, to all my “online” friends for their love and support, to all my family who is helping me adapt to my new life, to my sister and her husband for their unconditional love and for receiving me and my children, for my children who give me a reason to live, for the brother I found on this page thanks to you Jodi, the brother who taught me that there are good men out there, for Pat who has helped me in the hardest days of my life, who has been not only my friend, but a heart sister and mother, and my biggest thank you today goes for you Jodi.You gave me my life back. You have helped in every possible way. You taught me to trust, to believe in myself and others. You know all the “sides” of me: the worried, the anxious, the sad, the depressed, and the happy, and however I felt, you were there for me and your love didn’t change.
You give and give so generously. You made me feel at Home this week-end. Thank you.
Nikky44 recently posted..Suicide? Why?
YOU are the welcome-est person in the world. This post is dedicated to you, my dear!
Thank you Jodi <3 I love you <3
Nikky44 recently posted..Suicide? Why?
Wonderful post, Jodi. It is so true that sharing what we can and showing appreciation goes such a long way in the healing process. And another thank you for the mention! 🙂
My family is thankful in so many ways, to be together, to have these days, uncertain as they sometimes feel. There is no end to the beauty of human connection.
Lisa W. Rosenberg recently posted..Post Sandy: A Home Under Ashes
You can also be totally pissed and grief stricken. Allow yourself to feel all of it, gratitude, anger, sadness, love. It is ALL connection! Love to you!
Please and thank you are small words but they mean so much.
Basic manners cost nothing but they are so important, They are a gift that costs nothing but giving and receiving them means so much.
Like Tina, says, they mean to world. What a gift you can give someone.:)
They show Jodi that the quality of a gift is not connected to any monetary cost!!
Hi Jodi,
Yes, thank yous do feed the soul. They are so important. I love to read thank you messages, even if they are not for me. When you read a thank you message you see the good in those who are appreciated and the sincerity of those who value them.
I see thank yous every day on http://www.thanknest.com – it is a place where anyone can take the time to thank someone who they appreciate. I’ve shared many thank yous on this site and I’ve made them public for the world to see. It’s wonderful to send a thank you message to someone you love, and it’s wonderful for them to receive it in a public place where everyone can see how wonderful they truly are. I have found that when I write a thank you message, people say things like “let’s get together, let’s get coffee” because they want to spend time with those who value them. Thank yous feed the soul and they reconnect us.
Sincerely,
Linda
Dr Linda Hamilton
http://www.thanknest.com
Thank someone you love – it’s free!
I was just talking about you to Nikky and remembering that I promised to get on there and check it out again!
Thank you for joining our site Jodi – it’s so wonderful to connect with you and Nikky there 🙂
Saying thank you and please takes so little effort, really, and yet can mean the world to someone else. Thank you for the reminder of how important these things are, Jodi. And thank you so much for your words of love and compassion that you bring us on this blog.
Tina Barbour recently posted..Memoir: The jug of water
I love how you say thank you is the world. I think the world is divine and thank you is divine. Yes, yes, yes!
Wonderful Jodi!
I think just the mere mention of thank-you fills our hearts with gratitude, be it for anyone and everyone. I think I am just so thankful for the wonderful family and friends I have, and even though we might not say it that often, we do mean it from the heart. But yes, we do need to express ourselves so that others get to know about it – isn’t it?
Thanks to YOU too for sharing such wonderful posts with all of us. 🙂
You are very welcome!!
Ooo, Jodi, I felt so good reading these acknowledgements. Thank you for providing them 🙂
On the weekend I thanked my friend, J, who is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner and trainer. J had just helped my friend, N, who was experiencing some distress from the past.
J and N didn’t know each other previously, and I was happy to be able to put them in touch with each other. I appreciated that J took good care of my friend and assisted her, and that all three of us created connections with each other that weren’t there previously.
This is beautiful, thanks so much for sharing. It shows J’s care for you that she took such good care of N. It was love for you spilled over!
When I come here, Jodi, my heart fills up.
thank you. Xxx Kisses from MN.
My Inner Chick recently posted..The Madonna Experience
It is an honor to fill such a large heart. (bow) xxx
I had occasion earlier today to seek help from an online customer service email. I didn’t really expect an answer. Then I got a very gracious answer saying that they couldn’t help me. I politely asked a follow up question, again expecting no answer. But then I got another response from the same person saying that he had checked as far up the ladder as possible and that he was so sorry they didn’t have what I was looking for. I wrote back one more time just to say thank you for going above and beyond, and asking him to put me in touch with a supervisor so that I could express my appreciation or just to pass my email on up. You can never say too many thank you’s! BTW, I love the title of this post. It made me smile–so thank you!!
Galen Pearl recently posted..The Mercy Seat
Oops, meant to add the most important thank you to all our heroic veterans!
Galen Pearl recently posted..The Mercy Seat
I love good customer service. It takes skill, but it makes all the difference in the world!
Thank you, Jodi for this beautiful post.
You are welcome, too, awesome Mama!
Thank you for being you, Jodi. You bring so much light to this world. I’m trying to start a new practice: go out and pick up some really fun cards, then mail one every couple of weeks to a different friend, coworker, family member, or whatever. We don’t get enough cards in our mailboxes anymore, and it’s such a great way to express appreciation.
Laura Zera recently posted..New in Mental Health: Schizophrenia Diagnosed by Eye Test
This is a fantastic idea. One, I think that will be met with lots of appreciation. We recently bought my mother-in-law cheese of the month, and she is thrilled to have something come in the mail that is not adverts!
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