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| Sunny Side Up! October 3, 2001 � 2001, by Kathleen Gibson Thanks for it all�big and small When my nephew Jeremy was about eleven, he accompanied our family on a day�s visit to friends in Gibsons, B.C. The six children�theirs and ours�spent the morning outdoors romping with Annie the airedale, cuddling rabbits and kittens, feeding sheep, and soaring down the magnificent zip line that descended the rugged ravine at the bottom of the property. Pretty heady stuff for my crew of city kids. At lunch they were ravenous. Our hostess had made pizza�rich and spicy�with a deep crust, pepperoni slices that rested on each other�s laps, and cheese that spun strings from the teeth to the end of the arm. When the meal was over, Jeremy asked to be excused, pushed in his chair, and went over to her. He waited till she looked at him, squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and began. �That was the most stupendously good pizza I have ever, in my whole life, had the privilege to eat. It beat Pizza Hut pizza all hollow, and I�ll probably remember it till I die. Thank you for making it for us and for letting me eat it.� He sucked in more air and added, ��and you have a pretty good zip line too.� His little speech was accompanied by fervent head movements and arm gestures that came perilously close to clearing the table. I watched Necia�s eyes widen; grinned at her sputtered response. I was used to Jeremy�s well-oiled tongue, but that day he surprised even me. It was the most heartfelt thanks I�ve ever witnessed. In the electric silence that followed, he sauntered cheerfully outside, oblivious to the adult-sized statues he�d created behind him. Blown away by gratitude. It happened to me on the streets of downtown Vancouver, when a homeless man thanked me for my smile. And again the day an elderly woman I merely said hello to pulled me aside�. �Thank you,� she whispered, �thank you for remembering my name.� I am grateful often �for the beauty of the earth, for the wonder of the sky, for the love which from my birth, over and around me lies��the old hymn by Pierpoint expresses it best. I don�t think I surprise God with my constant gratitude for those obvious blessings. But I wonder if I�ve ever tickled and delighted him�or anyone�with my heartfelt thanks for a multitude of things I regularly take for granted. �For breath each day. For warm hugs. For music that floods my soul and lifts my spirits�and for the people who make it. For a neighbor�s friendly wave. For the caress of my cat�s wide paws on my cheek. For those who pray for me each day. For editors who handle my words with care and respect. For the encouraging responses of readers. For six Bibles, when many have none. For today�s fragile peace. For loquacious nephews, old friends, and the gift of still warm memory�. �Lord of all, to thee I raise�this my hymn of grateful praise.� You can respond to this article at [email protected] |
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