Two Little Words

Among the lovely words in our English vocabulary, I think my two favorites are “thank you.” I can always count on receiving a warm smile whenever I say these words to someone or they are said to me.

Sometimes, the words are said in the midst of tears, yet the heart is smiling. Many years ago, when I first moved to Orlando, Florida, United States of America, I was enthralled with the beautiful weather and year-round greenery.

I’ll never forget the first night I spent in my new house because I was awakened around four in the morning by a chorus of birds chirping! I could hear at least seven or eight different birds just chattering away. I smiled to myself, thinking, Well, how nice! Every bird in the neighborhood is out on my front lawn to welcome me! Then I went back to sleep with a prayer of thanks to God for giving me such a wonderful experience. When I arose later that morning, I heard the cheerful chorus of sounds once again, and I could not wait to see the lawn covered with my new feathered friends.

So I opened the front door, but there was not one bird there! As I heard the sound once again, it caused me to look up, and there, sitting high on a light pole, was my one-bird choir! You guessed it. It was a mockingbird.

I had never heard a mockingbird before and had no idea they could make the exact sounds of perhaps a dozen other birds! As I settled into the neighborhood, I discovered there were very wide, smooth sidewalks to walk on.

Each time I took a walk, I was compelled to say, “Thank You, God, for these wonderful sidewalks and especially for the mockingbirds!” Just two little words, thank you, are very sweet to hear and also very sweet to say.

In every aspect of our lives —no matter what is going on— let us be on the lookout for even the smallest thing for which we can say thank you to our spouses, children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, or coworkers.

Father God, I want to thank You for loving us all and especially for sending our dear Jesus to this world so that we can know what true love really is.

Terry Wilson Robinson