There have been a few times in my life when I felt “thank you” just wasn’t good enough. Those two words seemed completely inadequate to fully express how much appreciation I felt. I think the English language can be very limiting sometimes.

The first time I remember that feeling was when my trailer home was blown away in a tornado. My grandmother took me to a department store and paid for a new pair of shoes, socks, underwear and an outfit because she knew I needed them. My extended family spent a hot day helping me sift debris looking for salvageable possessions. So many people did great kindnesses for me in the days immediately after the tornado. Many of those, I wasn’t even able to tell, “thank you.”

Then, after the tornado, my husband and I (still newlyweds) bought an old, condemned house. My parents, grandparents, in-laws and extended in-laws worked many hours to gut the house and rebuild it. I worked alongside them as often as I could. But there were many days that I’d show up after college classes and stand in awe at how much work had been completed in my absence. They did not ask for payment. Many times, I found that they had spent their own money to finish a project. My uncle bought us a front door, my parents paid for the driveway gravel, my grandmother hung curtains on every window in the house and my husband’s uncle spent days making custom kitchen cabinets. In the end, the old, condemned house looked new and was the perfect 1st home for a couple of college kids just getting started. I made before/after photo gifts for those who helped with the house but when the time came to hand them out, they seemed so insufficient.

The teacher across the hall from me during my first year teaching made sure that I had everything I needed. She mentored me unofficially about how to handle tough situations and guided me through what otherwise might have been my last year of teaching. When she retired she gave me her wooden podium. I still have it; but I honestly don’t know if I ever did tell her how much she meant to me that year.

When we adopted two special needs twins, we sent out announcements and had an open house. I was amazed at how many people came. It wasn’t their gifts that were important to me; instead it was the realization that we were truly loved and supported. How does a person say, “thank you” for that? I try to send “thank you” cards whenever possible. But, the words always seem cheesy and lame.

The most recent occurrence when “thank you” wasn’t good enough happened tonight. I stopped to pick up a cedar chest that my grandparents had refinished for me. My grandfather, who I don’t see often enough, put his arm around my shoulders and said, “Nothing will replace the one that was destroyed in the tornado but I spent hours sanding this just for you.” I hope that my grandfather knows that his cedar chest was one of the things I am most sad about losing in the tornado because he made it for me. I will cherish this replacement in a way that once again I am unable to express.

Thank You

Story ID:	3868
Written by:	Kristy Duggan (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Story
Location:	Andover KS USA
Year:	2008
Person:	my thoughts