Thank You

I have a good friend who ends nearly every conversation or visit with ‘Thank you’.  There are times that this catches me off-guard, and may seem even a bit out of place.  I don’t know if he’s even aware that he does that, but it’s clear that he means it.

I really like that. I’ve never pointed it out to him, because he does this unconsciously, and I don’t want to spoil that. 

We should all be grateful for our interactions with other human beings. And whether we explicitly tell them so, it is nice if that attitude is reflected in our behavior.

In the end, all those we love will one day be lost to us, or we to them. This may happen gradually through distance, alienation, or old age; or it may be sudden and without warning. The only sure chance we have to share our sentiments with them is right now. My friend seems to understand this implicitly.

[I posted this originally at mid-day Monday.  I learned later in the day that my friend's father had passed away early that morning.  His passing was not unexpected—he was scheduled to move from a skilled nursing facility to home hospice care later this week—but it was more sudden than expected.  His doctors estimated that he might live another six months or so.  Porter Newman was a fine man, whom I was privileged to know over the past few years.  I miss him already, and will never forget him.
My friend called in the late afternoon to tell me that his father had died.  We had a nice talk about Porter, and what we would do to celebrate him.  Characteristically, Paul ended the call by thanking me.]