Lessons In Gratitude: Phone Calls And Recycle Bins
Lessons in gratitude often occur without notice. During a rough point in my week, my phone rang. Though the call was from an anonymous person, I felt impressed to answer it.
Turns out, it was a friend who wanted to say thank you for something I had done–something that had touched them in a way I had never expected.
My spirits were immediately lifted, and a surprising experience I had a few years back came to mind:
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A Surprise Discovery
It was a typical fall morning in my neighborhood as I walked to the curb to retrieve our recycle bin. I paused for a moment, noticing a simple note taped to the top of the bin.
“What’s this?” I wondered.
Removing the note from the green bin lid, I began to read,
“Great job! When it comes to recycling, you don’t monkey around and we are impressed! Thanks to residents like you, last year our city recycled more than 32,000 tons of material that would have otherwise been sent to the landfill. We appreciate all of your recycling efforts. Thanks for helping to keep our city clean and green!”
Something inside of me began to swell, and a smile crept onto my face, for, lo and behold, my recycling efforts were recognized and appreciated.
Recycle Conundrum
You see, for years I had been 100% devoted to recycling everything in my home that could possibly be recycled. If you are the type of person that is into recycling, you would have been proud of me!
But then, times turned tough. One trial after another found its way into my life and something had to give. Long story short–I stopped recycling. I could no longer give 100% to everything in my life, so I started throwing everything in the trash can instead of putting the recycle items into the recycle bin.
“No one cares whether or not I recycle,” I told myself. “Besides, the recycle in our home doesn’t amount to much anyway in terms of quantity. And, boy! Life is so much easier when I don’t have to worry about washing out the peanut butter container before throwing it away.”
Several weeks passed this way, with most of our recycle going into the trash bin.
Something changed inside of me, however, when I read the note that was attached to the recycle bin—the note of gratitude. It became apparent that my efforts to recycle HAD been noticed and appreciated after all. Just knowing that made me desire to start recycling again.
And so I did.
I’m now back to washing peanut butter containers before tossing them in the recycle bin, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
Isn’t it amazing what a little gratitude can do?
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New Life
Gratitude breathes life and soul into something that was once nearly dead. It rights the wrongs, illuminates the darkness, and inspires excellence in a way that few things can.
Gratitude, in all its humble, but majestic splendor, has the ability to change the world, but that can’t happen without our involvement. For the benefits of gratitude to be witnessed in our lives, we must be grateful. We must take the time to notice the people and things around us and verbally express our gratitude for them.
Have you ever noticed that when you compliment a “difficult” child, they tend to improve their behavior?
Or when your children thank you for cooking dinner, you tend to develop a light-hearted spring to your step?
Gratitude can work seeming miracles! 
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Gratitude Quotes
Are you looking for gratitude inspiration? Check out these quotes:
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Norman Vincent Peale
“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” — Read Norman Vincent Peale
3
John F. Kennedy
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — Read John F. Kennedy
4
Sally Clarkson
“Gratitude isn’t a gutting out of thanks, nor is generosity a painful sacrifice. Rather, both come from an overflow of joy. And neither is formed in a vacuum; both must come from recognizing that God’s goodness to us is so extravagant that it must be passed on.” — Source: Lifegiving Home
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J. C. Ryle
“To increase in happiness in Christ’s service, labor every year to be more thankful.” — Read J.C. Ryle
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William Law
“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays the most or fasts the most, it is not he who lives the most, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.” — Read William Law
In conclusion, expressing gratitude is the perfect way to elevate one’s happiness in the moment and draw nearer to God for eternity.
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Sam Lefkowitz
“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty, my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.”
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Melodie Beattie
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Read Melodie Beattie
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. There are things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness–just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and cool breeze when the day is warm.” — Read Laura Ingalls Wilder
