So let us remember that to raise grateful children, we have to be grateful. Let us
remember "little pitchers have big ears"-and watch what we say. To illustrate-the next
time we are tempted to belittle someone's kindness in the presence of our children, let's
stop. Let's never say: "Look at these dishcloths Cousin Sue sent for Christmas. She knit
them herself. They didn't cost her a cent!" The remark may seem trivial to us-but the
children are listening. So, instead, we had better say: "Look at the hours Cousin Sue
spent making these for Christmas! Isn't she nice? Let's write her a thank-you note right
now." And our children may unconsciously absorb the habit of praise and appreciation.
To avoid resentment and worry over ingratitude, here is Rule 3:
A. Instead of worrying about ingratitude, let's expect it. Let's remember that Jesus
healed ten lepers in one day-and only one thanked Him. Why should we expect more
gratitude than Jesus got?
B. Let's remember that the only way to find happiness is not to expect gratitude, but to
give for the joy of giving.
C. Let's remember that gratitude is a "cultivated" trait; so if we want our children to be
grateful, we must train them to be grateful.
Chapter 15 - Would You Take A Million Dollars For What You Have?
I have known Harold Abbott for years. He lives at 820 South Madison Avenue, Webb
City, Missouri. He used to be my lecture manager. One day he and I met in Kansas City
and he drove me down to my farm at Belton, Missouri. During that drive, I asked him
how he kept from worrying; and he told me an inspiring story that I shall never forget.
"I used to worry a lot," he said, "but one spring day in 1934, I was walking down West
Dougherty Street in Webb City when I saw a sight that banished all my worries. It all
happened in ten seconds, but during those ten seconds I learned more about how to live
than I had learned in the previous ten years. For two years I had been running a grocery
store in Webb City," Harold Abbott said, as he told me the story. "I had not only lost all
my savings, but I had incurred debts that took me seven years to pay back. My grocery
store had been closed the previous Saturday; and now I was going to the Merchants
and Miners Bank to borrow money so I could go to Kansas City to look for a job.
I walked like a beaten man. I had lost all my fight and faith. Then suddenly I saw coming
down the street a man who had no legs. He was sitting on a little wooden platform
equipped with wheels from roller skates. He propelled himself along the street with a
block of wood in each hand. I met him just after he had crossed the street and was
starting to lift himself up a few inches over the kerb to the sidewalk. As he tilted his little
wooden platform to an angle, his eyes met mine. He greeted me with a grand smile.
'Good morning, sir. It is a fine morning, isn't it?' he said with spirit. As I stood looking at
him, I realised how rich I was. I had two legs. I could walk. I felt ashamed of my self-pity.
I said to myself if he can be happy, cheerful, and confident without legs, I certainly can
with legs. I could already feel my chest lifting. I had intended to ask the Merchants and
Miners Bank for only one hundred dollars. But now I had courage to ask for two
hundred. I had intended to say that I wanted to go to Kansas City to try to get a job. But
now I announced confidently that I wanted to go to Kansas City to get a job. I got the
loan; and I got the job.