Thank you
The regular editor is unavailable at this time (sleeping with a migraine) and I thought I would take this opportunity to say a few words about "thank you." I know, Bill Meyer did not hire the Mister, he hired the MRS. If he intercepts this before press time I guess I'll just save it and read it out loud down at the local coffee shop. In other words, you will not get to read Susan's Shorts today.
Thank You.
How many times have we heard this or said "thank you?" What does "thank you" really mean? There are different levels, like "thank you very much," or "thank you VERY much" or just plain old "thanks." Do they all mean the same thing? How can you say thank you in a manner in which it is really understood and the person to whom you are saying it understands the true feeling in which it is intended?
We all have said "thank you" when we really would like to say more but can't find the right words. There are many "thank yous" that seem inadequate, but I would like to share a few of them with you.
The first "thank you" has to be to the Peabody American Legion for lining the cemetery road with the Avenue of Flags. This year is extra special as they have provided lighting for the flags so they can be viewed after dark. I think about this group of men, young and old, quite often. Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you to past generations, the present generation, and to those who will serve in the future.
Thank you to my family. The wife, oldest daughter, and myself took a road trip recently to visit the youngest daughter. We ate too much, shopped too much, stayed up late too much. I didn't get to sit by the mountain stream. It rained. It snowed. The wife got sick. I got sick of driving. Probably the best vacation a father could ever have. The highlight? Seeing my two daughters laughing together.
We all have many things to be thankful for and wish we had said "thank you" in a way that says everything we want to say. A short prayer from many years ago pretty well covers it all.
"Thank You Lord, for Life, for Love, for Family, Friends and Food. Amen."
What else could you say?
— The Mister
