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Jul 1, 2009

"We have thousands of opportunities every day to be grateful: for having good weather, to be able to sit in such a beautiful room on such comfortable furniture, to have slept well last night, to be able to get up, to be healthy, to have enough to eat. ... There's opportunity upon opportunity to be grateful; that's what life is." --Brother David Steindl-Rast

A Retired Teacher's Letters of Gratitude

Xu Niankui, a 76-year-old retired teacher in China, had just gotten on a bus when a young girl immediately offered up her seat for him. Xu began chatting with her, and though he couldn't get her name or age, he found out she was from Taopu Middle School, and so sent a letter to the school thanking the anonymous girl. The school identified the good samaritan and ended up recognizing her for her charitable act. This was a revelation for Xu: he decided that if people realized how much a simple motion like giving up their seat meant to other people, they would do similar good deeds more. Since that time in May 2007, Xu has stepped his thanking up a notch and made a habit of giving a letter of gratitude to every person who's ever gotten up for him.