Newsletter

October 2010 Newsletter

Giving the Gift of a BIG THANKS by Pat Harley

We had a birthday party for Neusa. She was twenty-five and had come to America from Brazil for a short time to seek temporary employment. I had hired her to help me with a few home projects and found her to be extremely competent and intelligent.

The day of her birthday I baked a cake and made dinner in her honor. My daughters and I had bought her an inexpensive pair of shorts and a matching top at our local Target. From the very moment the "party" began she was overwhelmingly thankful for EVERYTHING we did for her. Her gratitude was so sincere and generous that it touched us deeply.

After dinner she opened her gift. It was at this point that I began to see something so wondrous about the importance of giving thanks. She simply jumped up and with a scream of delight asked if she could try them on right then! Minutes later she waltzed out looking totally adorable in the clothes we had bought for her. She continued to exclaim her delight and thankfulness to all of us......and we were humbled by her loving kindness.

I have never forgotten the gift Neusa gave us that day. I have given many gifts but that day was far above all others. Neusa chose to express her gratitude in extraordinary ways and that gave each one of us an even more valuable gift back. It was the gift of heart felt appreciation.

Jesus healed ten lepers but only one came back to say "Thank you". Yet Mary was so abundantly grateful that she wept and poured a extraordinarily expensive perfume over Christ's feet and then wiped them with her hair. Mary was grateful for the Savior. The one leper was grateful for being healed from slow death by the Savior. But it was her enormous, heartfelt, passionate, overflowing generous gratitude that made all of the difference and left an example for us.

I have a few things I am asking the Lord to do for Big Dream but in the asking I am also totally grateful at all He has done for us. If I had the perfume (and long hair) I would fall at my Saviors feet and thank Him with all that I have.

In the meantime, I will thank Him like Neusa....humble, fervent, delighted and passionate...with all my heart. This Thanksgiving we hope you have an opportunity to not only give thanks but do it in a way that resembles Neusa. I think it is simply giving a valuable gift back to our Lord!