Think you've got nothing to be thankful for? Just sit down here and think again. 

    "I have so much to be thankful for. I wouldn't know where to begin," she said.
 
    I wouldn't know either. As I looked around her home, I couldn't find a thing that she could include. 
 
    I have discovered that the friendliest, most welcoming people in the world are those who have little in the way of material things to offer. What they lack in possessions they make up for in spirit and love.
 
    Some years ago I had been working for the Commission on Economic Opportunity. It was the year following a devastating flood in Pennsylvania. My job was to interview low-income families and assess their needs. Up until that moment I thought I had seen it all. The odd thing was I was looking at nothing at all, and this woman was thankful.

    The home, though technically out of the flood area, looked like it had been a part of the destruction. The front porch steps were missing, replaced by a few cinder blocks and planks.  There were several broken windows, and part of the foundation had caved in, exposing the basement to the weather.  
 
    That particular day it was in the upper 30s with a strong wind blowing. Snow was predicted by nightfall.  
 
    Thanksgiving Day was approaching, and quite frankly my heart was not into doing these surveys. Like many others, I just wanted to start my holiday early. This was the last stop for me.  Tomorrow like millions of other families we would be gathered around the table filling ourselves to capacity.  
 
    Oddly I hadn't even thought about what this family was looking forward to. I just figured they would be taken care of by some organization or church. I looked around the kitchen for some sign of a charitable box of goodies but saw nothing there.
 
    The house was bitter cold. The young children ran several times through the kitchen playing, laughing like any other kids. I happened to notice that they were barefoot on this cold linoleum floor.  
 
    At one point I said to one of the youngest girls, "You should go put your socks and shoes on before you get sick."
 
    She replied, "Mommy, did this man bring me some shoes I can wear?"
   
    "No, Sissy. He didn't. Go put on a pair of mine. He's right--you need something on your feet."
 
    I was embarrassed for having put her in that position.
 
    "Well, I'm finished here. Thank you for your time. I hope you have a wonderful...."  I didn't know what to say. How could they possibly have a wonderful anything?  
 
    "Look, I'm sorry. I know there must not be much to be thankful for these days," I said nervously.
 
    "Well, you certainly are wrong about that!" she said emphatically. Then, rising to her feet, she walked into the living room and stood in the middle.  
 
    "My dear, I am truly blessed for all of this. I know it doesn't look like much. But who made the rules that say that we can only be thankful for things that cost money?
 
    "Sit here on this chair," she told me. "That chair may be worthless even to a junk dealer. But I sat in that chair and waited for months when my son was in the service. That was my worry chair. I sat in that chair, prayed and gave thanks when the good Lord brought him safely home to me. It was in that same chair I was sitting when my daughter came home from school and told me she was going to college ‘cause she got a full scholarship. It was my joyful chair.
  
    It was also in that chair that I sat holding my daddy's hand when he died. They had sent him home telling us there was nothing more they could do. He wanted to be at home. We put the chair next to his bed, and I ate, slept, and cried as I sat in that chair holding his hand. He was all the world to me when I was growing up. I owed him that much.
 
    "So how much is that chair worth in dollars? Nothing. But I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said. 
 
    Then walking over to a picture on the wall she said, "You see this man? He's the man that has loved me for all these years. He's at work now. He doesn't make much, but he works hard for it.  He paid for that chair in sweat. How much money value do I put on him? There isn't enough money in all the world for the true value of love."
 
    "Those kids running around the house. Yeah, maybe someone would say I'm not a good parent. But you go and ask them if they love their mommy and daddy. Then tell me how much that is worth," she said.

    Then she added, "I'm thankful for my sight, I am thankful that I have good health, considering everything else. I am thankful for my faith. Oh, how thankful I am that I have something to believe in. I am thankful for the second-hand quilt the lady down the street gave me yesterday."
 
    She gestured toward the other room. "Do you hear that laughter? I'm thankful my kids are playing and laughing like other kids in the neighborhood. How much would you pay to find something to laugh about when things aren't so good? There is so much I am thankful for that most people take for granted," she said. I stood up and picked up my briefcase. It was time to go.
 
    She walked over to the chair I'd just vacated and sat down, adding, "So now I call this my 'Thankful Chair.'  Tomorrow when we gather round the table to share whatever meal God will provide--and he always provides--I will be thankful that He sent you here to talk to me," she said, smiling.
 
    I knew then that, in addition to making my report to the state, I would be coming back with a pair of shoes and socks, as well as some other ingredients for a happy Thanksgiving. "Thanks for sharing your 'Thankful Chair' with me," I said, walking out the door. "I believe one day I will find that priceless."
 
    I was right.  
    
    你覺得沒有什么需要感激？那就坐下來再想一想。
    
    “我有那么多的東西要感激。我都不知道從哪里說起。”她說道。

    我也不知道。我四下打量她的屋子，沒有找到一件她可以納入感激范疇的東西。

    我發現世界上最友善、最熱誠的是那些拿不出多少物質資料的人。他們財產方面的匱乏在精神和愛方面得到了彌補。

    幾年前，我在經濟機會委員會工作。那年賓夕法尼亞州剛剛遭受了災難性的大洪水。我的工作是去拜訪那些低收入家庭并且確定他們的所需。在那一刻之前我本以為自己已經看清了一切。令人奇怪的是，在什么都入不了我眼的處境里，這位婦女卻要表示感謝。

    這座屋子雖然從理論上來說并不在洪泛區，但看上去也同樣遭到了毀壞。前面門廊處的臺階不見了，眼下用一些煤渣塊和木板將就著。有幾扇窗戶破了，部分地基下陷，將地下室都露了出來。

    那天氣溫35華氏度朝上些，刮著大風。據預報，黃昏前要下雪。

    感恩節要到了，老實說我并沒有心思做這些調查。就象許多其他人一樣，我只想假期早點到來。這兒是我的最后一站。明天，就象成千上百萬其他家庭一樣，我們將圍坐在餐桌旁放開肚子大吃特吃。

    奇怪的是，我甚至都沒想一下這家人心中在期盼什么。我只是估摸著他們將會得到某個組織或教會的照顧。我環顧廚房想找找看是否有慈善物品盒子的蹤影，但什么也沒有看見。

    屋子極其寒冷。小孩子們有好幾回跑過廚房，象別的孩子那樣嬉戲、大笑。我碰巧注意到，在這么冷的油布地面上他們竟然光著腳。

    有一刻，我對其中一個最小的女孩說：“你應該穿上襪子和鞋子，不要生病了。”

    她回答道：“媽媽，他給我帶來了我能穿的鞋子嗎？”

    “沒有，茜茜。他沒有。去把我那雙穿上。他說得對—你們需要腳上穿些東西。”

    讓她處于那樣的境地中，我感到很是尷尬。

    “好了，我完成了。謝謝你抽出時間。我祝你們過個好的……”我不知道說什么。他們怎會過個好的什么呢？
    
    “瞧，我很抱歉。我知道近來肯定沒有什么值得感激的。”我不安地說。

    “哎呀，這一點你肯定錯了！”她強調道。接著，她站起身，走進起居室，站在了房間中央。
　
    “親愛的，我真的很有福。我知道這一切看上去并不怎么樣。但誰規定我們只能感激那些值錢的東西？

    “坐到這把椅子里去，”她跟我說。“這把椅子雖然連收破爛的也可能認為不值錢。但是在我兒子服兵役時，我坐在這把椅子里等待了好多個月。這是我的擔心椅。當主將他平安帶回家來時，我坐在椅子里作禱告表示感激。也就是坐在這把椅子里的時候，女兒放學回家來告訴我她要上大學了，因為她得了全額獎學金。這是我的快樂椅。

    也是坐在這把椅子里，爸爸死的時候我握著他的手。他們將他送回家來告訴我們他們已無能為力。他想要呆在家里。我們把椅子放在他的床邊，我坐在椅子里，吃飯、睡覺、哭泣時都握著他的手。在我成年之前他是我的整個世界。我欠他的太多了。

    “你說，這把椅子值多少錢？一文不值。但什么東西拿來我都不換。“她說。

    接著，她走到墻上掛的一幅照片前說：“瞧見這個人了嗎？他是那個這些年來一直愛我的人。他現在在上班。他掙得不多，但他工作努力。他用汗水買回了這把椅子。我能說他值多少錢嗎？ 世上沒有那么多的錢能體現出愛的真正價值。”

    “這些在家里跑來跑去的孩子。的確，可能會有人說我不是個好母親。但是你可以去問問看他們是否愛他們的爸爸和媽媽。然后告訴我那值多少錢。”她說。

    隨后，她補充道：“除此之外，我感激自己擁有良好的視力，我感激自己擁有健康的身體。我感激自己擁有信仰。噢，我多么感激自己有信仰的東西。我感激昨天街上那位女士給我的舊棉被。”

    她指了指另一個房間。“你聽到笑聲了嗎？我感激我的孩子能象周圍其他孩子一樣嬉戲大笑。當不順心的時候，你會付多少錢去尋找令你開懷大笑的東西？我對那些多數人認為理所當然的東西深表感激。”她說道。我站起身，拿起公文包。該走了。

    她走到我剛空出來的椅子邊坐下，又說：“所以，我把這把椅子稱作‘感激椅’。明天當我們圍坐在餐桌邊上帝賜給的食物時—他總是賜給我們東西—我會感激他將你派到這里來和我談話。”她微笑著說。

    此時此刻，我知道，除了向州里作匯報以外，我還會拿上一雙鞋子和襪子以及過好感恩節所需的其它一些東西再次回到這里。“謝謝你和我分享你的‘感激椅’。”我說著走出門去。“我相信有朝一日我會找到那樣的無價之寶。”

    我當時真是說對了。