Gratitude

I believe that of all the virtues, gratitude is probably the most neglected and least expressed. Too many people are like the son of the immigrant shopkeeper who came to his father, complaining "Dad, I don't understand how you run this store. You keep accounts payable in a cigar box. You accounts receivable are on spindle. All your cash is in the register. You never know what your profits are."

"Son," answered the shopkeeper, " let me tell you something. When I arrived in this land, all I owned was the pants that I was wearing. Now your sister is an art teacher. Your brother is a doctor. You are a CPA. Your mother and I own a house and a car and this little store. Add all that up and subtract the pants and there is your profit."

Excerpt from John Maxwell's book "Everyone Communicates Few Connect".