As we enter into the holiday season and enjoy time spent with friends, family, and loved ones, we might just need to remember these words provided to us by the writer William Arthur Ward, one who was known for his column “Pertinent Proverbs” and one who was a frequently quoted writer in a weekly digest geared for public speakers.
The quote Ward penned that would behoove us all to recall is a rather appropriate one for this holiday season – “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” When we mull over those words for just a few minutes, we should be brought to the realization we are indeed blessed in so many ways.
When pondering “common days being transformed into thanksgivings,” we can immediately think for a few minutes of the many blessings we so very often take for granted. A 2017 news report on a homeless veteran in Murray, Kentucky, revealed the veteran was handed the keys to a 96 square foot home he could call his own. That much-needed blessing brought a smile as the homeless man now has a ‘spot’ where he can rest comfortably and live safely. In an article accompanying the story, the writer Brianna Clark pointed out this sad fact – “We all know the saying home is where the heart is. But what if you don’t have a home? It’s reality for more than 500 veterans living in Kentucky, according to the state’s Department of Veteran Affairs.” That statistic is indeed a very sad one. We can also realize from Clark’s story that a home does not have to be a huge one – this veteran is overjoyed with a small space many would consider the size only sufficient enough to house a lawn mower or clothes.
Ward’s words “routine jobs being transformed into joy” also bring an awareness of the many pleasures seemingly monotonous jobs bring to those being served. When we consider the countless number of older folks who rely upon those performing ‘routine’ jobs, we might just be more aware of those ‘routine’ jobs we might assist others with – jobs like cleaning homes, ironing, mowing, weed eating, car washing and cleaning, and even driving – definitely produce joy for those assisted. I recall while working as a cashier during college one older customer called the store one day and requested his wife’s shopping bags be filled with fewer items in them; the reason he provided was a simple one – the heavy bags were too difficult for his wife and him to tote easily. Yes, that older person’s request has stayed with me for decades, and I have often told the younger set of ‘cashiers and sackers’ of today to remember the older customers who do not have the strength they once possessed. Again, I am certain all the mundane jobs we complete do bring joy to those a part of our lives.
Ward’s final admonishment – “change ordinary opportunities into blessings” – is also another one we need to follow more daily. We have many opportunities during a day’s time to add a sparkle of encouragement in the lives of those we encounter. I noted on Facebook in recent years a mother’s question regarding where her daughter could ‘serve’ others on Thanksgiving Day. One response that was given the mother included West Side Church of Christ’s Thanksgiving Day Meal provided for folks in our community on Thanksgiving Day. This event, one that began on Thanksgiving Day of 2003, is one that can allow us to share an ‘ordinary’ meal we oftentimes take for granted and bring some sunshine into the lives of others.
Yes, William Ward’s quotation and words penned many decades ago are ones that can serve as reminders to us that our lives, whether filled with much fortune or simply adequate to meet our needs, provide us with occasions to make the lives of those around us much more joyful. It would certainly befit us all, CLW included, to make it a priority to ‘give of ourselves’ more to those a part of our lives. I am confident Ward would be standing there with us cheering us on to complete some kind deed, one that is momentous, or one seemingly insignificant, for another person in our sphere of acquaintances.
~ Article by Carolyn L. Wells
November 12, 2023
