I understand that the late Dr. Fulton Oursler used to tell of an old woman who
took care of him when he was a child. Anna was a former slave who, after
emancipation, was hired by the family for many years.
He remembered her sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and her eyes
gazing upward as she prayed, "Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles." He asked her
what vittles were and she replied that they were food and drink. He told her
that she would get food and drink whether or not she gave thanks, and Anna said,
"Yes, we'll get our vittles, but it makes 'em taste better when we're thankful."
She told him that an old preacher taught her, as a little girl, to always look
for things to be grateful for. So, as soon as she awoke each morning, she asked
herself,
"What is the first thing I can be grateful for today?"
Sometimes the smell of early-morning coffee perking in the kitchen found its way
to her room. On those mornings, the aroma prompted her to say,
"Much obliged, Lord, for the coffee. And much obliged, too, for the smell of
it!"
Young Fulton grew up and left home. One day he received a message that Anna was
dying. He returned home and found her in bed with her hands folded over her
white sheets, just as he had seen them folded in prayer over her white apron at
the kitchen table so many times before.
He wondered what she could give thanks for at a time like this. As if reading
his mind, she opened her eyes and gazed at the loving faces around her bed.
Then, shutting her eyes again, she said quietly,
"Much obliged, Lord, for such fine friends."
Oursler was deeply influenced by Anna's uncanny ability to always find something
to be thankful for. This wise woman taught him a vital secret that many people
have never learned: she taught him how to be happy.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Life Support
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