My favorite assignment I give all year is asking my students to write a letter of gratitude to someone and then read it to them. Any assignment that I give my students I do myself. So, it became clear to me that I needed to get on a plane to read my letter of gratitude to my father.
Dear Dad,
I am truly thankful for all the support you have given me throughout my life. When I was younger you let me try things even though you knew they were not going to work. You realized that there were times that I just needed to learn on my own and could (or would) not take the advice of a more experienced person. You never said I told you so when I failed but were there to support me and make sure that I learned from my mistakes
You taught me that winning was a good thing but loving the journey was the more important thing. How to make the boredom of practice fun by making it somewhat competitive. I was able to take that with me even in the pizza business when we had contests who could fold boxes the fastest or could we answer every phone call in one ring. It still makes me smile to picture people sprinting to the phones to get them in one ring.
You made me realize that money was not the important driver of the world, but people were. In business my two driving practices were to take care of our people and customers better than anyone else in the world. I think what allowed me to focus this way was that I was never driven to make a lot of money. Family and friends were what was important to you and rubbed off on me.
Thank you most importantly for your unconditional love
With deep appreciation and gratitude.
Please do not miss the opportunity to tell your friends and family members how much they mean to you. Just make the call, send the card or a text. Do not worry if it is worded perfect the receiver will most definitely appreciate the thought.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
An idea like this is entirely wholesome. As I wrote my own gratitude letter to my friend, it made me realize my own blessings in life and how important it was to remember those around me. And while I think my friend got something out of it, I know I certainly got a sense of appreciation and fulfillment out of it as well. We cannot be who we are without the opportunities those around us give us to grow; because of this, I am truly thankful for the willingness of people in my life to stand by me in the good and the bad.
ReplyDeleteThis is a powerful message to your dad. When I sat down to write my gratitude letter, I didn’t have to think long before I knew who I needed to thank. I chose to thank my chemistry teacher. Sophomore year was tough all around and my chemistry teacher would constantly check in on me about once a week, just to make sure I was ok. Part of the reason sophomore year was tough was due to my harder classes. There were some days where I felt that I didn’t belong in those classes because the other guys seemed smarter than I was. However, he challenged me to keep working. I didn’t fully believe him, and he knew that. However, he promised that if I stuck with it, I would feel rewarded. And as much as I hate to admit it, he was right. I will remember all his advice forever, because it really helped (and continues to help) me. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteChip
I just think it is important to let people know you appreciate them, because many of them, family and friends especially, look out for you and support you whether you realize it or not. With Thanksgiving coming up, it is a good time to reach out to loved ones to let them know you appreciate all they do for you.
ReplyDelete- George