Showing Gratitude

Whether we admit it or not, the people that we most take for granted are usually the ones who have given to us freely and without measure.

It has weighed on my mind lately because I keep seeing individuals who are in need of help not even ask nicely, but instead expect it - and if they don't receive it, actually demand it. People have extended their hands to them all their lives that they now think of it as a right, and no longer a privilege. They feel a false sense of entitlement, simply because people who love them have met their needs without them having to ask. They even forget to show appreciation after they get what they want.

Consequently, no matter how much they are loved, that kind of behavior never fails to cause that well of love and generosity to start to go dry. There's no faster "drying agent" than ingratitude.

We are all guilty of ingratitude. From the people who try to live solely on welfare or government assistance, to the help given by our extended and immediate family, and finally to the guidance, provision and love of God.

Sadly, for most of us, the only time the cold reality of our callousness and ingratitude will only dawn on us, is when we lose that supply of love and generosity that we have so depended on but sorely taken for granted. That is the only time we realize how much our loved ones and others have enriched our lives.

So before that happens, we should practice some humility and show our appreciation. Try to remember the very basic lesson that hopefully all our parents have taught us. Say "please" when we need or want something that we cannot do for ourselves, and "thank you" when it is given or offered to us. Two simple but powerful phrases. Be reminded that people owe us nothing. Whatever they do for us, they do out of kindness and sometimes just unconditional love. Let us try not to abuse it, but to respect and reciprocate it.