The Two Most Powerful Words in the English Language

There are many holidays each year that rotate around depending on the calendar. For example, Memorial Day is the last Monday of May, Easter changes depending on the church’s calendar, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, etc. However, Veterans Day always lands on November 11th year after year no matter what and for good reason. It was originally named Armistice Day and was to honor those who died in World War I – when the war finally came to a close and Germany signed an armistice deal. It was expanded to celebrate and honor all veterans in 1954 and has continued to land on that November 11th date year after year.

It’s incredibly important to remember Veterans Day too. Because many people don’t get it off of work and because it can oftentimes (it has a 3/7 chance at least) land in the middle of the week, it can easily sneak on folks. And while there are many valid excuses, none truly can justify it….reason being, veterans are the people in our lives who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. They were the ones willing to risk their lives, time away from their family, all of it for us – that’s a powerful statement.

The coolest thing and one that always hits a little bit hard is at the Army-Navy game when beforehand, when all of the pomp and circumstance is completed, there’s a guy who makes a wild statement: “Everyone on the field is willing to die for each and every person in the stands.”

It’s a profound statement.

The only thing that we, as civilians, can do is say thank you. It’s definitely not enough but it’s all we can do. So say thank you.

I was serving meals at One80 Place, a local homeless shelter in Charleston, and there are many vets who are clients there as they clean themselves up, get back on their feet, whatever it may be. And saying thank you to them was an unbelievable experience and they really, honestly appreciated it. Many of them are down on their luck and all they wanted on Veterans Day was to be told thank you…that and the ice cream sandwiches didn’t hurt.

So this got me to thinking the power of those two words. These men who were in a transition phase in their life, and one that is unimaginable for many of us, didn’t want anything more than those two words. Holy smokes is that something…

The two words…thank you…might be two of the most powerful and meaningful words when said genuinely. When you hear a thank you that has some umph behind it. It can make a heart flutter or a tear to brew up. It can really mean a lot. And I know in today’s society, saying thank you is polite and I love that…those small acts need to be acknowledged whether it be a waiter or someone holding the door open for you, whatever. That’s important to have a civilized society.

But think about this…when was the last time you said a thank you that you REALLY meant. A big one. If I were a betting man, I would wager that it’s probably been a little while. For some reason, a lot of people don’t make those big thank yous and truly mean it. Could be a number of things but I reckon it’s because it makes us feel a tad uncomfortable to get that vulnerable. And that’s fine and it’s pretty natural. But let’s push the limits this week.

I rarely give homework but the inner teacher in me sometimes just has to flex that muscle. This week, think of someone you owe a big thank you to and then give them a call or invite them to coffee and tell em. It could be a super special moment and I betcha it means a whole heck of a lot to them. Remember, two of the most powerful words in the English language are also two of the simplest.

Thank you.