GROWING SEEDS: "Kindness"

Who Rekindled Your Inner Light?

When was the last time you "thanked" someone from your past for the influence they had on your life?  Maybe it was a teacher or a friend's parent or maybe your own parent.

Here we are at Thanksgiving……with Christmas right around the corner…...a time to count our blessings….a time to remember, reflect and be thankful for those people that have made our life what it is today.  As someone who has been delivering Meals on Wheels for 7 years, I see firsthand what a letter, note or phone call of thanks can do for someone.  They feel lonely, forgotten and in their final years, so appreciative of not having been overlooked.  Each time they receive a personal letter or note from you, I hear about it.  They read every word to me….

World Renowed Motivational Speaker, Barbara Glanz once wrote…...

"In my speeches and workshops, I sometimes ask my audiences to shut their eyes and think about someone who, at some time in their lives, has rekindled their inner light.  It is always a profound experience for everyone as they remember the joy they received from being appreciated by someone when they needed it the most.  After one session, a gentleman thanked me for creating a new awareness as he had immediately thought of his 8th grade literature teacher who had really made an impact on his life.  He planned to track her down and thank her.

A few months later, he called me to say he had written to his teacher.  She had gotten his letter and the following week, she sent him her response:  

"Dear John, you will never know how much your letter meant to me.  

I am 83 years old, I live all alone in one room.  

My friends are all gone; my family is gone.  

I taught for 50 years and yours is the first "thank you" letter I have ever gotten from a student.  

Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life.  

I will read and reread your letter until the day I die."  

He was very emotional when relating this story to me.  He said, "She was always the one we talked about at every reunion.  She was everyone's favorite teacher."  But no one ever told her until she received his letter.   

Go ahead; recognize the impact your words have on others and thank someone TODAY who has touched your life.