Reflections from a church pew

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." 

~ Luke 6:31

Today, I was caught off guard while sitting in church waiting for the service to begin. A friend came up, sat in the pew with me and handed me a little thank you card and goodies. It seriously caught me off guard. At first, I thought it might be a little card for my daughter's birthday. Then I saw the big writing on the card, Thank You. I must have looked perplexed because she said it is a belated thank you for taking my confirmation class when I was away. And so it was......cute little owl paper magnet clips and a fridge magnet that says You Rock. 

It really got me to thinking about people who do things for others without thinking twice or expecting anything in return. In no way was I expecting ANYTHING for helping a friend out. She asked, I said sure! I am so not the type of person who expects anything when I help a friend in need. I felt awkward accepting the token of gratitude, to be honest. And then......

......I began to think about this from the other side of things. What do I do when someone helps me out in a jam? I show my appreciation through little tokens of gratitude. The smile on my friend's face when she handed me the card and gifts was HUGE! She is a smiler by nature, but this was different. Her smile truly screamed, "Thanks! I appreciate what you did!" Most of us do not expect gifts or recognition when we do things for others, but we are quick to give when we are on the receiving end of someone's goodness.

I walked home from church today, with so many thoughts jumbling around in this head of mine. From the gospel reading, to the remembrance of the Saints who have gone on to their heavenly homes since last year, to the pastor's sermon, to the idea of Think Thankfully and how it plays out in our lives. We humbly do for others as we would want them to do for us. (Luke 6:31). It is encouraging to see so many people expressing gratitude, doing for others, and expecting nothing in return. I believe the Journey to a Thousand Thankful Hearts is well underway.....I have finally started seeing more positive and happy things on 'the book of Faces' than I see negative! Yay!

Think Thankfully!!!