How do you THANK someone for this?
By Bonnie K Brown
So, how exactly DO you properly thank someone (or many someone’s) for having saved your life? Do you simply just turn back to them one day and say, “Thank You” and that’s it? Or should it be something more? Those two little words hardly seem enough when the meaning behind them is so profound.
Two years ago today, I had open heart surgery. It was followed by a massive heart attack that was caused by a heart catheterization that had gone horribly wrong. As time has now gone by, and my life has moved on, I’ve had more and more time (and space) to process this event and contemplate what this experience has meant to me.
At first, I was angry. Very angry, for all the angst and hardship that the failed surgery had caused, for me, and many others around me. It’s had a rippling effect, for sure, followed by months and months of rehabilitation and recovery. Plus a huge financial drain on my family. In many ways, I’m still healing from that event today. But with time, I’ve come to make peace with the past, because it’s also part of my present. Good, bad, or ugly, it’s become part of who I am. Of my life’s story and my personal journey.
Today, I stand before you with a grateful heart, because I have finally figured out that having gratitude is like a magnet; the more grateful I am, the more I will have that I can be grateful for. That’s because gratitude makes sense of our past, (bad as it may have been) and brings us peace for today. It creates a vision for all of our tomorrows. Gratitude turns what we already have into enough – right here and now. It gives us the ability to be thankful for what’s already right in our life, even though we’re still in pursuit of so much more.
There’s a lot going wrong with this world right now and a whole LOT of people living in anger, desperation, and despair. I’ve been there, myself. So I know how it feels. It’s a sad, horrible, and lonely place to be … and I don’t ever want to go back to those days again. I’ve had enough hardship and hassle to last me a lifetime and plenty of medical struggles yet to come that still remain in front of me. But I’ve come to learn that gratitude is the best medicine. It heals your mind, your body, and your spirit. And it attracts more things in your life for you to be grateful for.
So, I ask YOU to try it … today. Practice gratitude. Try and enjoy the little things that you have to be grateful for in your life, for one day, you may look back (like me) and realize they were really BIG things after all. Gratitude will help you see what’s there, instead of focusing on what isn’t. You simply will not be the same person a month (or two) from now, after consciously giving thanks each & every day for the abundance that exists in your life today. Even if it’s just having enough food, water, or shelter to get you through the day. Look for the positive in your life right now. It’s there. It’s all around you. It may be hard for you to see, but trust me, it’s there. You just have to open your eyes and look for it.
Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us all, as well. And the more you thank life, the more life will give you something to be thankful for.
And so, today, on this 2nd anniversary of my open-heart surgery, I’d like to thank ALL of those who worked ferociously to keep me alive. There were many who played an integral part in my survival, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you. You have turned what I have into enough, and more. You have turned my denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity … and have helped me make sense of my past, brought peace to my present, and helped me create a greater vision for all of my tomorrows. And for that I say … thank you, thank you, thank you!
Because of you I am able to carry on and help others to plan carefully, prepare properly, and live … A Better Life. I take that opportunity seriously. See how I am paying it all forward right here and right now at ABetterLife.com https://abetterlife.me/.
Follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-do-you-thank-someone-bonnie-k-brown-bcpa