Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Unthanked People

"When William Stidger taught at Boston University, he once reflected upon the great number of unthanked people in his life. Those who had helped nurture him, inspire him, or cared enough about him to leave a lasting impression. One was a schoolteacher he'd not heard of in many years. But he remembered that she had gone out of her way to put a love of verse in him, and Will had loved poetry all his life. He wrote a letter of thanks to her. The reply he received, written in the feeble scrawl of the aged, began, "My dear Willie." He was delighted. Now over fifty, bald, and a professor, he didn't think there was a person left in the world who would call him "Willie". Here is that letter: " My dear Willie, I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely, and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for fifty years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue-cold morning and it cheered me as nothing has in many years." Not prone to cry easily, Will wept over that note. She was one of the great unthanked people from Will's past. You know them. We all do. The teacher who made a difference. The coach we will never forget. The music instructor or Sunday school worker who helped us believe in ourselves. The scout leader who cared. We all remember people who shaped our lives in various ways. People whose inflluence changed us. Will Stidger found a way to show his appreciation--he wrote them letters." ----story by Steve Goodier "Unthanked People" "Blessed are those who give without remembering and who receive without forgetting." --unknown

14 comments:

Stacey said...

Now that is a sweet post. I love the quote.

Elizabeth said...

Two small words that mean so much and don't cost us anything to give to those who have been a blessing to us (except a stamp maybe)!
SO! While I'm here let me say "thank-you" for being such a dear friend, your sweet comments and going the extra mile to keep in touch! I'm so glad we met. Have a wonderful day my friend!
~Elizabeth

Happy@Home said...

That is a very touching story. It goes to show that sometimes the small gestures done in a truly heartfelt way can carry the largest impact.

Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story. I'm going to be thinking of who I need to be thanking.

Judy said...

What a great post...to remember to thank those who have made a difference in our lives. I'll be thinking about this one some more!

Unknown said...

What a great post! That story made me think about all the unthanked people in my own life. Great inspiration to start my day!

Wanda said...

Once again you have inspired me! Thank YOU!

LisaShaw said...

Judy,

Thank you for your love and prayers at my blog. You are such an encourager and speaking of which, I really enjoyed this post.

It gives a short and sweet but very powerful message: SHOWING APPRECIATION. It's love in action.

A thank you goes a long way and all too often even with people whoo we know, at times you can begin to take each other for granted and that's sad.

Thanks Sweetie for always having something here that can fill my heart up.

Dale said...

I love this post...and am going to share this with others. Simple and profound. Thank you Judy!

Tracy said...

What a beautiful post! Oh, and I love that quote! Touched my heart deeply. Couldn't agree more with the importance of showing gratitude. I'm asking the Lord today to show me who might be long overdue for a note of thanks. I can't leave without telling YOU "thank you" for the wonderful ways you encourage and bless me. You're a treasure. = )

Hugs,
Tracy

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful heartfelt post! It brought tears to my eyes. There are so many people in our world who go unappreciated and other people who I guess are just to busy to take the time to say thank you. Well, I thank you Judy for this post. Your a very special person and I truly treasure your friendship. Please tell your lovely daughter I said thank you for talking you into starting a blog :>)

Shelley said...

This was a terrific post and a sweet reminder! I know some people that I need to thank - so thank YOU!!

Connie said...

Hi Judy...you are amazing with your encouragement and how you say. You have a gift! I actually wrote my list of people I need to write a note to last night. Gotta get them written soon. Thanks for your kind words too when you stop by my blog. Connie

Lovella ♥ said...

Judy, thank you for this great post. It is such a special thing to be thanked .. .and so much more special to remember to thank those that have touched our lives.

On This Rock said...

Thank you for sharing this post...it is a good reminder of what we need to do more often..thank those around us that contribute to our lives. We really do need to acknowledge those in our world that make our lives just a little bit better more often.

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