The Power Of A Timely Thank You.

I was scrolling on LinkedIn earlier this week when a connection of mine reacted to a post about her former colleague who had passed away. Suddenly, my timeline was flooded with tributes, testimonies, and stories about how kind this man was. Every time someone shared a post, my connection reacted, and thanks to the algorithm, I was automatically notified.

That’s just how LinkedIn works. You like a competitor’s awesome new marketing campaign, your manager (if you’re connected) will probably know you do.
Seriously, who designed this system? But that’s a topic for another day.

Today, I want to talk about something that has been on my mind since I  read those heartfelt tributes. Did this man know how much he was appreciated while he was still alive?

Is it that we assune people  must know how much they mean to us? That  they surely understand the difference they have made? So we leave it unsaid until it’s too late?

There’s a line in one of Yolanda Adams song that says “…give them their flowers while they can still smell them.” This is very true because ideally, appreciation is meant for the living. For the ones still running the race. It’s okay to honor people when they have passed. I just believe it’s even more powerful if they knew how much they were appreciated in their living years.

And the Bible gives us a powerful example in the story of Mordecai and King Xerxes in  Esther 6. One night, King Xerxes couldn’t sleep. He ordered the records of his reign to be read to him. And in those records, he was reminded of how Mordecai had once saved his life by exposing a plot against him.

The king asked “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” The answer? “Nothing has been done for him.”

Mordecai had done something extraordinary, and no one had acknowledged him. So, in that very moment, the king decided to honor him publicly. Mordecai received his recognition and  honor while he was still alive to hear it.

How many “Mordecais” do we have in our lives? People who have shown up for us, supported us, believed in us and yet we have  never paused to say thank you. It shouldn’t take a sleepless night or a funeral service for us to realize the value of people.

So take this as your nudge:

– Tell your parents you are grateful.
– Thank that friend who has been on your side from day one, cheering and encouraging you.
– Celebrate that leader who opened doors for you.
– Appreciate that team member who carries the weight behind the scenes.
– Give them their flowers  today when they can still smell them.

Because the best tribute is the one they get to hear. I intentionally introduced a gratitude section with every article I write to give flowers weekly to those in my world. At the beginning of last year, I also introduced a gratitude jar for our family. Every week, we all write things we are grateful for. On New  Year’s Eve, we open and read them aloud as a family. It’s unbelievable how easily we forget, and the gratitude jar has been a good reminder of a faithful God using the people around us to bless and help us. #attitudeofgratitude.

Next time, we might talk about social media’s snitching ways. Like… why should your high school group be told you’ve left a WhatsApp group chat that only talks about who had a crush on whom twenty years ago? Who even cares about that decades later when we are all out here busy living our lives?

Gratitude: This week, I am grateful to God for our three children,  Minana, Isaiah, and Joana. The twins’ birthday is in a few weeks, and there’s a whole testimony and story behind it. I might write about it next week 🤔 or we talk about social media’s snitching ways ? Let me know which one you prefer for next week.

On my playlist this week is No Fear In Love from Kaestrimgs and Rica Stephenson. Don’t be surprised if you see me repeating songs here. Often, I have these songs on repeat for weeks!

Gratefully