Day 12: 30-Day Gratitude Challenge

Letter of thanks

Welcome to the 12th day of the Gratitude Challenge. A part of me was worried about running out of words to say, especially since I’m sharing some of my gratitude highlights with the general public. I’m grateful that the opposite is true. I’ve got A LOT of stuff to be thankful for!

Words have power to build or destroy. Use them wisely.

Today, I thought I’d change the tempo and write a letter to complete strangers.

​I’ve touched on the power of good deeds by people we know as well as random strangers. Thought I’d write a letter of gratitude to two people that my son and I had a brief encounter with sometime last year. You might be encouraged to think about people with whom you've crossed paths, and bless them, even when you may never see them again. Remember, blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh. 

Dear Two Tesco Ladies,

I know you’ll never read this because I don’t know who you are and what you look like, but I’m writing this letter today to thank you. You didn’t talk to me, but what you said that Saturday afternoon made a lasting impression. My son turned around, asked if I’d heard what you said, to which I smiled. But, it was the look on his face that said it all. 

I’ve come across sensitive people who have been bullied or laughed at because they’re different. Indeed, I’ve seen top athletes being booed on the pitch because of the colour of their skin. As a mother, I can’t help but sometimes wonder what my son will experience as he grows up. He loves who is, and I’ve taught him not to define himself by the colour of his skin. He is aware that there are people who might try to place him in a box and remind him of the fact that he is black; as if it’s something to be ashamed of. I’m glad to say that some of his closest friends are white, and it’s always been like that from his nursery days. He even boasted about the fact that one of his friend’s mum (British) recently told him that he was family. Nobody did bat an eyelid, because we all know it’s true. 

A few days ago, I thought I’d find out if he remembered what two ladies in Tesco supermarket once said. His face immediately lit up, as he quoted what he heard that day. With a wide grin on his face, he uttered these words, “I was so proud. I wanted to tell them that you’re my mum!” That day, you gave a little boy another reason to be proud of who he is, in a world that sometimes entertains differences as dividing mechanisms, instead of puzzles that connect us to form beautiful earth. 

Above all, I was having a bad day. We’d just been to the hospital thanks to a freak accident. My natural hair was far from being kempt. It can be temperamental and I hadn’t made any special effort to look my best. However, you saw something else. “She’s stunning!” one of you said. “Flawless!” the other woman replied. Thank you for your kind words, although I did wonder if you were referring to me. It’s so true that words have power; yours went a little further to give a little boy another reason to be proud. 

Thank you for putting a smile on my face, and for helping me appreciate that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Wherever you are, I am sending blessings to you.

Yours Truly,

Woman on a Gratitude Journey

Previous article

READ DAY 13: 30-DAY GRATITUDE CHALLENGE