How pleasantly we pronounce the word "thanks." For
every good wish, for every good turn we have a need to say: thanks (in Russian
the word for thanks, "spasibo," is derived from ‘spasi Bozhe’
– God save). These words express inner feelings — they are not simply an
indication of a good upbringing, as they are dictated by instinct. When a
person is in a crowd and an unseen individual shows him a small consideration,
that person begins to seek out with his eyes: whom shall I thank? How often do
people utilize the press so as to express thanks to known and anonymous
individuals for condolences to their grief, for participation in their
difficult times! Feelings of gratitude are not limited to words,
they endeavour to be expressed in deeds, and subsequently continue to live as a
grateful memory in the soul.
But if we are thankful for small things, how can
we not express our gratitude for major things — for the joy of being alive, for
the ability to think, to love others, for our sight and hearing that open our
eyes to life on earth, for the opportunity of communing with people, for nature’s
gifts that we enjoy? How can we not give thanks when we are delivered from
danger, or when we are visited by what we call "good fortune"? But
how unfortunate is that person who gives thanks for a glass of water, yet has
"no one to thank" for the higher, for the greater, for the most
important?
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