谢谢

Many years ago,when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver,I was driving to my parents home in Missouri for Christmas.I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City,where I was planning to stop and visit a friend.I pumped the tank full,stood in line at the cash register,and said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off,but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from my exhaust pipe.I pulled over and wondered what I should do.

A car pulled up behind me.It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station.They said they would take me to my friends. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for rescuing me.Soon afterward,I received a Christmas package from them.Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later,I drove through a foggy morning to a conference in a nearby town.In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that Id left the lights on all day,and the battery was dead.Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership was right next door.I walked over and found two salesmen relaxing in a showroom devoid of customers.

“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?”I asked and explained my trouble.

They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car,attached jumper cables,and started my car.They would accept no payment,so when I got home,I wrote them a note to say thanks.

I received a letter back from one of the salesmen.No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you,and it meant a lot,he said.

Another few years had passed when a friends husband died. Pat had been a well-respected doctor at a big hospital, and hundreds of cards were sent to the family.Among them was a sympathy card from a plumber who had once worked at their house.He wrote that when Pat had paid the bill,he wrote on the invoice, “Thank you for a good job.”

Thank you—two powerful words.Theyre easy to say and mean so much.

多年前，当我刚走出校门并在丹佛工作的时候，我驱车去父母在密苏里州的家过圣诞节。在距离俄克拉荷马州加油站50英里的地方我停下来，我计划去拜访一位朋友。我将油箱加满，排队站在收银机前，主动向一对也在付油款的老年夫妇问好。

我发动汽车离去，但没走几英里远，浓烟从我汽车的排气管中冒出来。我把车开到路边，开始考虑下一步该怎么办。

一辆车紧接着我的车停下来。是那一对我在加油站里打过招呼的老年夫妇。他们说他们会把我送到朋友的家中。在去城里的路上我们交谈着，当我走下车时，那位老年男士递给我一张他的商业名片。

我写了一封信来对他们给予我的援助表示了感谢。不久我收到他们寄来的圣诞包裹。包裹中有张便条上写着，帮助我使他们的假日生活变得更有意义。

数年后，在一个雾气朦胧的早上，我开车去附近一个城镇开会。傍晚的时候我回到我的车的旁边，发现我车上的灯亮了一天，蓄电池已经没电了。过了一会儿我发现福特经销商就在隔壁。我走过去发现店里没有顾客，只有两个销售人员在展示厅里消遣。

“不知你们福特公司能否帮我一下？”我边问边解释了我的困境。

他们很快开着一个轻便小货车来到我的汽车旁，接上跳线电缆，然后发动我的汽车。他们没有收取任何报酬，当我回到家后，我写信向他们表示感谢。

我收到了一位销售人员的回信。没有人曾经花费时间给他写信向他表示感谢，而我的感谢信对他来说意味深长，他说。

几年后，一个朋友的丈夫去世。帕特曾经是一家大医院中一位德高望重的医生，此时家里收到数百张卡片。卡片中有一张上面充满同情的话语，是曾经在他们房中干过活的一位水管工寄来的。当帕特支付账单时他在一张发票上写道，“谢谢你完美的工作。”

谢谢——这是两个威力无比的单词。它们很容易说出口并且意味深长。