Expressing Gratitude This Holiday Season

While doing some family history research this Holiday Season, it struck me how often kindness and gratitude are acknowledged in obituaries.

Take for example the obituary of David Keith Batts (1965-2016), who died on 28 November 2016.

An obituary for David Batts, Wilson Daily Times newspaper article 2 December 2016
Wilson Daily Times (Wilson, North Carolina), 2 December 2016

According to his obituary:

Batts was a familiar figure walking along the roadside in Wilson County. [His friend Teresa] Hall acknowledged the restless nature that kept him on the move, but she said he had a heart for people and always expressed gratitude for those who stopped to offer help or share a kind word.

“He would tell me stories about people that he met – good people,” she said. “He would tell me stories about how they would just reach out to him and give him advice and he would tell me how sweet they were. He would remember that and he would talk good about everyone that he met. He never said a bad word about anybody.”

Those kindnesses were remembered and shared with family & friends, and recollected again at his passing.

As you look back on your life, what stories do you have about the people you’ve met – “good people” whom you remember for their kindness, assistance or good nature?

Share your stories with us this Holiday Season.

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