The words “thank you” when said with utmost sincerity does not just convey true appreciation but also enriches your life and makes you feel great.

Thank you God for this Special Child…

While we kept waiting for the couple, Abi (the elder daughter) entertained the selected few guests - may be 50 people by playing some nice childhood photographs taken way back in the 60's and 70's on a projector screen. Finally when the couple did arrive and we were finished with the birthday song and speeches, Abi invited her mother to read out a poem she had written for the occasion.

Thank you God for a wonderful husband
Thank you for these 40 years of happy marriage
Thank you for the strength, courage and confidence that have kept us together in tough times.
Thank you for the two beautiful gifts in our life (our 2 daughters)
Thank you for giving us a wonderful son-in law (Abi's husband)
And then she said,

Until then, throughout the evening I had not noticed their 27 year old daughter Aishu who has Autism (a brain development disorder). As the mother mentioned her name, all eyes went to Aishu who was sitting calm very much amongst the guests but in her own world and Girija aunty continued with her poem..

And she went on…

What amazed me was that, while most of us would be complaining, here I saw parents who had made so many sacrifices in life for this child and yet they were genuinely appreciating and thanking God for this “Special Child”.

How extraordinary of these parents and how better can this word “GRATITUDE” be explained?

Aishu can beat any of you reading this article in solving puzzles and I challenge you on that. She solves 1000 piece puzzles in less than 5-6 hours. Another lesson that God does not take away everything from you, he bestows talent in everyone. Kudos to the parents who identified this talent and continue to encourage her. The latest I heard is that she solves puzzles online.

20th December 2005, a day I can never forget in my life. It’s a day that I have cursed God as many times as one could in 24 hours and now I remember It to Thank God everyday for the experience & lessons I learnt in life.

Without any further suspense, let me tell you that it was the day when I was told when my Kidneys had stopped working. I was climbing rapidly up the career ladder and this news shattered me. I had to be flown back from Dubai where I was working in a 5 star hotel and arrived on a wheel chair on the 2nd January 2006. My parents did everything possible to comfort me but I was sinking due to pain (mental and physical). The only solution was a transplant and I needed a generous noble soul who could save my life by donating a kidney. My outlook changed from Feb 2006 when I chanced upon 35 year old Param who was fighting a similar condition but brimming with confidence. All he said was “You are young and you have wonderful support around you – Parents, relatives and friends”. Hope & Belief was back in life.

It was on 22nd August 2006 that God showered His blessings in the form of a donor and I got a transplant done.

My bosses (Patrick & Sam) and friends at workplace (Le Meridien Al Aqah beach resort) kept in touch and were of immense support throughout the ordeal. I wanted to get back to Dubai but my doctor recommended that I stay back as I had a series of infections which can cause rejections. I was hoping that someday I would get back and thank every one of my friends back in Dubai for their unconditional love and support.

I waited patiently for 3 years and finally got an opportunity through a great friend and mentor, Ray Kennedy to visit my friends back in Dubai. I arrived at the hotel where I worked on 15th January around 9pm and had a lovely dinner with the General Manager & rest of the team.

I fixed a wakeup call at 6.30am with the telephone operator and retired to bed. According to the plan, I wanted to get dressed quickly and meet many other colleagues before the day begins as the hotel was busy. Besides, I also had a training program to deliver for the Supervisors in the hotel.

The telephone rang at 6.30 am. It was the telephone operator Alice's pleasant and

Wow, I jumped out of bed with the same energy to catch the view and what I saw outside from my 14th floor room moved me and brought tears down my eyes.

I had gone to thank Mr. Patrick (the GM) and my friends back there. But they stunned me by creating memories which cannot be erased. I realize that “GRATITUDE” is the strongest and most powerful of all human emotions.

So, I will continue by saying that he did so much that I felt burdened. I had this question running up my mind.How can I ever return this favor to him? So, I decided to ask him straight why he was doing so much for me.

Bang came the reply from this wonderful human being “Absolutely no reason. It makes me happy to see you accomplish a dream”. This act he said made him feel good and he continued by saying people only do what they want to do. He said he wanted to do it.

I did not get the real meaning of his words until I read Louis L. Hay's GRATITUDE “A way of Life”. In the book, Dan Millman says;

Conventional gratitude may carry the subtle burden of obligation, bartering favors or keeping score as if saying, “You've done more for me than I do for you, so I am in red, so gratitude wise: I owe you one”. IF someone does a favor for me, social convention tells me that I “should” be grateful. But if I've allowed them the opportunity to give, to serve, to raise their sense of self worth, perhaps they should be grateful to me. The deeper we look at it, the more elusive “rules” of GRATITUDE becomes.

Dan further explains it to say Transcendental Gratitude goes beyond social conventions. Instead of feeling grateful to someone, we feel grateful for them - for God or Spirit working through them. We begin to feel grateful for everyone and everything that arises in our lives. This feeling uplifts us, embraces us, and helps us to uplift and embrace others in the ultimate recognition that we are, ultimately, in this together.

From L to R: Badri, Ray and myself