Caring Heart: A Thank You

"Thank You" is one of the first social phrases we teach our children. As the Thanksgiving Day chaos and joy approach it seems logical to take a look at a meditation about this "simple" act that can mean so very much.

A Thank You

He said "Thank you" tonight.  Not a knee jerk response.  A real thank you. Not after a ride to school when he overslept.  Or a ride to a friend's house. Not after I gave him something.  Just "Thank You." He had gone down to bed after a pretty typical day.  Not a perfect day.  Not even an argument-free day.  Just a day. He had brushed his teeth [woo hoo!] and taken a shower and gone to bed. I hadn't even tucked him in or anything.  Then he came back to the living room, gave me a hug and said those two precious words. "Thank you."  Caught by surprise I said, "For what?"  His response was carefully casual and tossed over his shoulder as he headed back to bed.  "Nothing. Just Thank you...g'nite."  Those two words will hold me through a lot of tough days.  Thank you.

Excerpted from "The Caring Heart Speaks: Meditations for foster, kinship, and adoptive parents" by Gail Underwood Parker   Artwork by Anna Parker David from the book cover.