Faithfully yours - Two little, powerful words

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Published on Saturday, October 8, 2016

By Neil Strohschein

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I’ve been thinking lately about the power of two little words. We use them a lot. Sometimes we abbreviate them (as in a text or instant message). Sometimes we use their shortened form. Sometimes we mutter them under our breath. Sometimes we use them, but our tone of voice suggests that we might not really mean what we’re saying. The words are there, but the feeling isn’t; and that needs to change.

The words, as you might have guessed by now, are “thank you.”

In my younger years, I used those words quite casually. It was, as my mother often said: “the polite thing to do.” She told me that “please” and “thank you” were magic words that, if used properly, would significantly increase the chances of my requests being granted. So in my younger years, when I used those words, I said “please” to get something I wanted and “thank you” because it was the right thing to say.

Over time, I have learned that saying “thank you” can send a powerful message to those whose actions have been a blessing to us; as I hope the following story illustrates.

A few weeks ago, while on a short holiday, my wife and I paid a visit to the Saskatoon Zoo. We had been there before so we knew that the facility was quite big. We have a wheelchair that she uses for visits to large shopping malls and places like zoos that require a lot of walking in order to see the whole facility. She was in her wheelchair as we approached the Zoo’s entrance.

When we arrived, the clerk informed us that we would be charged one adult admission. “This is our policy,” she said. “We want everyone to be able to visit the Zoo. So when someone comes in a wheelchair, he or she pays admission. The one pushing the chair gets in free.” On that day, “thank you” couldn’t begin to express the gratitude we felt for the blessing we had received.

Looking back, I thought of two things that contributed to the gratitude I felt that day.

First, we had received something of great value. The waived fee sent a message. It said: “You are important to us. We want this visit to be the first of many you will make to our facility and we will do all we can to help make that happen.” We got the point—and we will go back again.

Second, what we received came at a cost that others had to pay. The Saskatoon Zoo has over a mile of walking trails leading to its animal enclosures. Most are paved. The graveled ones are well maintained with strategically placed ramps that enable wheelchairs, power chairs and scooters to navigate them safely. Washrooms are handicapped accessible. Even the gift shop has wide aisles to enable wheelchair access. These things cost money—money that comes from the admission fees paid by those without mobility issues. What we received came at a cost to them.

What we saw in Saskatoon wasn’t unique. Every day, wherever we are, we see people just like those we met that day. They give of themselves, often going above and beyond the call of duty to serve the residents in our communities with integrity, dignity and a commitment to excellence. 

They deserve much more than just a casual “thank you.” They deserve to hear those words spoken with feeling—spoken in a way that reflects our awareness of and appreciation for all that they do to make our communities better places in which to live.