Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your

Hear these words, O seekers of wisdom, for they flow like living water from the heart of Ralph Marston: “Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.” This saying is no mere counsel of manners—it is a path of transformation, a way of walking in the world with humility, gratitude, and joy. To give thanks is not only to honor another; it is to awaken the spirit within yourself.

The ancients knew this truth well. The Greeks spoke of charis, the grace of gratitude, which bound gods and mortals together. The Hebrews lifted psalms of thanksgiving, for they knew that the heart that sings “thank you” grows light, while the ungrateful soul is weighed down by bitterness. In every culture, across every age, thanksgiving has been a bridge—between people, between nations, between humanity and the divine. Marston renews this ancient call, teaching us that when we appreciate life, life itself multiplies before us.

Consider the story of Abraham Lincoln, who in the midst of civil war declared a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. Imagine it—at a time when brother slew brother and the land was soaked in grief, the President called upon the nation not for vengeance, but for gratitude. He urged people to give thanks for the blessings still present: the harvests, the freedom to worship, the hope of peace yet to come. In that act, he reminded a broken people that gratitude could hold them together, even when swords divided them. This, beloved, is the power of appreciation—it sustains the soul when all else seems lost.

Yet Marston’s words reach deeper still. He teaches that when we thank others sincerely, not as flattery, not as a coin for favor, but as true recognition of their worth, we summon unseen blessings. For those who feel appreciated grow closer, and the circle of companionship expands. One who gives thanks is never alone, for gratitude draws hearts together as surely as the fire draws wanderers on a cold night. In contrast, the one who hoards pride and withholds thanks walks in a barren desert, no matter how rich their possessions.

And so it is with life itself. The one who grumbles that their days are too few, their burdens too heavy, finds life slipping like sand through clenched fists. But the one who rises each morning whispering, “Thank you for this breath, this sun, this chance to love,” discovers that life stretches wide, filled with hidden wonders. Gratitude multiplies existence, for it opens the eyes to see abundance where once there seemed scarcity.

The lesson is clear: to live in gratitude is to live richly, no matter your station. Therefore, make it your discipline to speak “thank you” often, to bow in appreciation not only to great deeds but to small kindnesses. Thank the friend who listens, the stranger who smiles, the laborer whose hands prepare your food. Thank even the trials, for they shape endurance, and thank the day itself, for it will not come again.

Practical steps lie before you, simple yet profound: each evening, recall three things for which you are grateful, and let sleep find you with a heart at peace. Each morning, begin the day with a word of thanks for the gift of waking. And throughout the day, speak “thank you” aloud, often and sincerely, for it costs nothing and yet enriches both giver and receiver beyond measure.

If you walk this path, O listener, you will find as Marston promised: when you truly appreciate life, you shall discover that life offers itself to you more abundantly. The one who thanks much, lives much. The one who honors others, is honored in return. And thus, through the sacred habit of gratitude, your days will swell with light, and your life will never be the same again.