Saying Thanks and Beyond

The words “thank you” were a common exchange when author Ralph Mosgrove’s wife, Elsie, became disabled from a fall, breaking her hip and causing a compression fracture at T12 and L1 of the vertebra. Confined to using a four-wheel walker, she experienced the kindness of strangers who stood aside to allow her to enter before them.

The Mosgroves took notice of the kindness offered and wondered how one could make “thank you” more meaningful in response. In Saying Thanks and Beyond, Ralph explores ways to respond to acts of kindness, to go beyond the words, and to find possibilities. He offers ideas to inspire you to become a better person and give someone else that emotional lift—like an elderly person who lost their independence or a soldier who can’t open a door for himself because of loss of limb. Mosgrove emboldens you to change your world and give a legacy of yourself to the generation who is watching.

I was raised to be polite, to use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ appropriately. Reading Ralph Mosgrove’s delightful essay on Saying Thanks and Beyond gave me a new perspective on those old automatic responses. Why not offer just a bit more appreciation than is expected? A verbal lagniappe—a little extra. Try Ralph’s formula. The recipient of the words will smile, and you will too!
—Carol Perry, Author, Witch City Mystery series