A Thankful Heart

Several years ago I befriended an elderly gentleman named Ray. He was advanced in age and had been quite successful in his career….very successful. When I met him he was the happiest man you would ever know. After getting to know him more, it became known that although he was successful he had a lot of heartache…his wife passed 10 years prior, he was a cancer survivor and was also estranged from his children. These are life events that one wouldn’t associate with happiness.

I often wondered what his source of happiness was…

Ray passed away several years ago and something he said always stuck with me.

Whenever someone would greet him and ask how he was doing, Ray would say, “I’m Thankful”.

That’s not the typical response that you would expect to receive. Usually someone says they are “good” or “okay” and you both walk merrily on your way. But a response like Ray’s, would make one pause and ask “Why?”. It’s not one that you could ignore and just walk away. So when asked about why he was thankful Ray would think of a million reasons why he was thankful and share one particular reason with the asker. Again you would think that a situation like Ray’s wouldn’t have a reason to be thankful, but he was…every day…until he passed.

During this time of Thanksgiving I always reflect on the what I am most grateful for and am eternally blessed.

What are you thankful for?