Thank you for your service, what if thanking people for what they’ve done instead of reviling them for what they haven’t done, works better?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

What if we made thank you a bigger part of our lives? Do we thank people enough who make a difference? My sister-in-law hosted a birthday party for her granddaughter and she invited extended family my husband and I haven’t seen in a while. If no one hosts these events we lose touch and years can go by without seeing people we love and care about.

How thankful are we for our politicians who we love to revile, criticize, and condemn? Of course, they have clay feet, we all do. We don’t always make the best decision, we don’t always put other’s interests ahead of our own, and they don’t know what the unintended consequences will be for their hard choices.

It surprises me people are willing to run for public office, it seems a thankless job, and all the skeletons in their closet get trotted out for public ridicule. None of us have led a perfect life, and as we armchair quarterback elections and argue with loved ones over the shortcomings of our preferred candidate and policies, are we missing the big picture? Democracy is messy, capitalism has inherent faults and the rich do seem to get richer, we hope the poor get richer also but the pace is so slow and the rich are so rich it feels like three steps back to every forward one. Throw in the fallout from covid, rising prices, environmental concerns, and people across the globe migrating to countries they feel are more successful, safe, and secure than their own, without asking if they can come, and you have what we have in countries across the globe.

Gratitude is, however, more than just an emotion. It is also a disposition that can be chosen and cultivated, an outlook toward life that manifests itself in actions – it is an ethic. Diana Butler Bass

We are the lucky ones if people want to migrate to our shores, it means we are one of the prosperous, safe, and secure countries. We are victims of our success, and hard decisions must be made. If we had to choose between being the people looking for somewhere to go, or living in a country with opportunity, safety, and security I think we’d all choose opportunity, safety, and security.

Being a good steward of what we have, and choosing our leadership is one of the big responsibilities. No leader is perfect; each leader will be better in one area, and worse in another. We will be impressed by some things they’ve done in their lives and maybe even horrified by other parts.

Life is not about perfection, there are unintended consequences to our best intentions, and nowhere is this more apparent than in politics. Mistakes will be made by those we least expect to make them, and trying to help others, and make things better is our biggest challenge, but also where we find the most unintended consequences.

Experts are often only experts when their expertise is an idea, when the idea is put into operation we see the weaknesses, and the unintended consequences. Some of the greatest governments we never had loom large in our imagination, because reality didn’t tarnish their vision. Some ideas are looming large that have been tried and failed, but the vision still lives on. The thinking is that they didn’t do it right, but if we do it, we’ll do it right, and we’ll end up with a fairer and more just society.

Can we be thankful for the visionaries, those who talk and write books about what should be done, and those who have to try to run our countries the best way they know how?

Anyone who is a parent knows there are theories, but once we have children the theories go out the window. If we’ve run a business we can scheme and plan and be millionaires on paper but real life often doesn’t work out that way. My parents always said, “Anyone can be a millionaire on paper.” I’m pretty sure it works the same in politics.

Are we thankful for those willing to dedicate their lives to public service, those who build a life to be envied, and willingly set it aside for public service? If we get the politicians we deserve, then we all have to work together to create the society we want, and we can’t blame the society we end up with only on the leaders at the top. We are the ones who choose them, and if we don’t choose, we live with the choices others make. We need to decide whose vision most aligns with our own, what vision will create the best outcome, and who can deal with the biggest issues of our time.

What if, thank you for your service, should be how we think of everyone that makes our society work, from the great to the small?

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson

If lack is the root of injustice, then gratitude is at the root of justice. John Pattison

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.