Thanks
One evening Mom put a piece in the puzzle the family was working on. Ruth said, “Thanks, Mom. Now I see where this piece I have in my hand goes. It’s right next to the one you just put in.”
“I’m glad I could help,” said Mom. Then she went on. “I’ve been thinking about saying ‘thank you’ to some people myself.”
“Who, Mom?” asked Ruth.
“Just some people here who have been so kind to us. Do you remember near the end of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as Dorothy was about to leave Oz and return to Kansas?”
“I do,” said Esther. “It seemed like everyone was saying ‘thank you.’”
“Right,” Mom added. “Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion all thanked Glinda for being so kind. Then the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion thanked Dorothy for their brains, heart, and courage.”
Putting another piece in the puzzle, Dad added, “Thanking special people is a good thing to do when you’re leaving.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Esther. “My teacher at school has been such a help to me this year. I know she likes little gold necklaces with a heart or something like that on them. I think I’ll get her one at the market.”
“Uncle Mike took me fishing lots of times,” said Paul just as he saw where the puzzle piece he was holding went. “That was lots of fun. And I couldn’t have gone without him. I’m not going to buy him anything, but I am going to draw a picture of a fish for him.”
“Rachel has been my best friend,” said Ruth. “I’m not going to give her anything. I’ll just tell her how much I love her.”
Mom said, “Giving something nice is a great idea. It’s even more important to tell them how much they mean to us. Or write them a note or an email.”
“This is getting too mushy for me,” said Dan. “Fifth grade boys, almost in sixth grade, just don’t do things like that. Besides, I can’t think of anyone so special. Most people have been nice to me, but not so much that I would do something like that.”
“That’s fine,” said Dad. “No one needs to feel like they have to get mushy or give a gift. It’s just something good to do if someone has been special.”
“It’s good to thank people who are special. It’s also good to say ‘I’m sorry’ to people we have hurt,” said Mom.
“I ran into Marcy so that she fell and scratched her arm,” said Ruth. “I said I was sorry when I did it. Do I have to say so again?”
“Of course not,” said Dad. “We’re talking about things you haven’t apologized for. Also, we were thinking of hurting their feelings, not just injuring them.”
“I can’t think of anything like that,” said Ruth.
“You mean like last week when Martha and I were arguing about which lipstick looked best. I said her sweater was ugly,” asked Esther.
“That sounds like something that could use an ‘I’m sorry,’” said Mom. “If you feel like you might have hurt someone, it’s always good to apologize.”
Waving a piece over the puzzle, Paul said, “I’ve been kind of a pain in Sunday school lately. I make funny noises. Everyone laughs. But Aunt Edna just gives me one of her looks.”
“That also sounds like it needs an ‘I’m sorry,’” said Dad. “Making things right makes it easier to leave. It also makes it easier to get on with life back ‘home.’”
Dan wasn’t saying anything. But he couldn’t help thinking of what he had done when the babysitter was there last week. She was really upset with him for making a mess.
He had dropped spaghetti on the floor on purpose. Then he “accidentally” knocked over his milk on her when she was cleaning it up.
She hadn’t said anything to Mom and Dad. But the babysitter knew that neither thing was really an accident.
He felt bad about it now. Still, he really didn’t want to apologize. He needed to think this one over before doing anything.
“Well, it’s about bedtime,” said Mom. “We can work more on this puzzle tomorrow. Everyone upstairs.”