Rich in Gratitude

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~G.K. Chesterton, English journalist, novelist and essayist (1874-1936)

The king was riding in the northern woods of his kingdom when he came upon his old gamekeeper Yorick. Yorick was as ancient as the woods themselves. Kneeling on his cloak he appeared to be praying. The king’s horse snorted, startling the old man.

At once he came to his feet, turned and bowed to greet his master. “Milord,” he said with a crinkled smile. “My apologies, I did not hear you ride up.” “I was preparing to eat my mid day meal and was busy thanking our good and wonderful God for my many blessings.”

On the old man’s cloak lay a single piece of crusty bread, a bit of cheese and a small portion of dried jerky. “Is all well here in my woods?” asked the king. “Yes, Milord,” came the response. “Then return to your meal old man,” he replied.

“Thank you Milord.” Yorick turned, fell to his knees, and returned to his prayers.

The king watched him for a few moments, marveling how someone could be so grateful for so little. Then reining his horse around, he left.

The king returned to his castle near dusk. As he was dismounting his horse his Seer came running out into the courtyard.

“Milord, I must speak to you immediately.”

“What is it fortune teller?” the king asked bruskly.

“I have had a dream, a vision.” 

“What has this to do with me?”

“I dreamed the richest man in the kingdom would die tonight.”

The king paled. “This could only be me.”

Dismissing the Seer, he immediately retreated to his chambers summoning the royal physician and the priest. The priest was instructed to pray while the physician performed a complete examination. It yielded nothing. “There seems to be nothing wrong with you,” he kept repeating.

Through the night the king paced, the priest prayed, and the physician made periodic examinations. Nothing happened.

Finally, as the sun was rising, the king dismissed the priest and the physician and ordered a hearty breakfast. As he was eating, a knock came at the door. “Enter!” he barked.

The door opened and a servant stepped into a bedroom chamber. “Milord,” he said with a curt bow. “Your faithful gamekeeper, old Yorick, died during the night. We thought you should know.”

“Make sure he is properly buried. Now let me finish my breakfast in peace.”

“Yes, Milord.” Another curt bow and the servant vanished through the doorway.

As he ate the king pondered the fate of his misguided Seer. “How could he have gotten it wrong?” “How foolish to confuse the ancient gamekeeper with the richest man in the kingdom!”

Positions, power, possessions and prestige may provide us with temporary satisfaction, but in and of themselves they can never make us happy. More often than not we are materially rich, but spiritually poor. To fully experience the richness of life we must first develop a sense of gratitude for everything we have. Wealth may give us a false sense of security, but it doesn’t give us joy.

To be happy we must first cultivate a sense of gratitude within ourselves. All too often, gratitude is replaced with a sense of entitlement. We tell ourselves we deserve something; after all we earned it didn’t we? But entitlement can only lead to unhappiness when we don’t get what we think we deserve.

What if tomorrow you awoke to discover that the only things you had, were the things for which you had been grateful the day before? Everything we have is a gift from God. Gifts require our gratitude. The power of love is that we are loved though we do not deserve it nor are we entitled to it. God’s love is our greatest gift.

The Seer wasn’t wrong. Yorick was the richest man in the kingdom, not because of the sum total of his possessions, but because his gratitude exceeded even those who had much more than he.

It is our gratitude which, in the end, brings us joy and makes us rich. 

God, make me grateful today…for everything.

“As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.” ~Terri Guillemets, American quotation anthologist (b. 1973)

© 2011 James E. Carper.  All rights reserved.

 “90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by James E. Carper, Director of Development for the Southeast Ventura County YMCA in Ventura County, California  All rights are reserved.  You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2011 James E. Carper.  All rights reserved.” is included along with this message.  Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections.  If written approval is given the ”© 2011 James E. Carper.  All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.