Amy Weatherly is a writer and motivational speaker who recounted an experience in her childhood that served her a slice of humble pie – one she didn’t realize she needed.
It happened when she was in the third or fourth grade, a stage where each kid’s eyes are becoming more open to life’s realities, both the happy and not-so-great ones.
Amy had a classmate named Billy and she remembers how he was often forgotten at the school pickup.
“I don’t know anything about Billy’s story, but I know his family must have struggled financially. I know he was often forgotten at school pickup. Maybe his mom was working three jobs and just couldn’t make it there on time. Maybe he didn’t live with his mom at all, and his grandparents were his sole guardians. I knew nothing then. I know nothing now.”
Her mom was a kind soul who always tried to help Billy as much as she could and this included bringing him home from school in their Chevrolet minivan.
There was one afternoon during the ride home from school when Amy recalls trying to impress another friend of hers who was also in the car. Not knowing exactly what their conversation was about, all Amy knows is she uttered something she regrets and was met with a response that served as a major reality check.
“Yeah, I hate this car. It’s dumb.”
“I think it’s nice.”
Some kids might laugh at such a comment while some might barely react but Billy, who was seated up front with Amy’s mom at the time, had a different reaction – one that hit Amy hard and reminded her of just how much she had and how little others did.
Amy had a mother who showed up every day at her school to pick her up. They had a car that brought them to wherever they needed to be, safely. Billy didn’t. And that was what prompted a shift in Amy’s perspective.
“I hope Billy doesn’t remember that day, but honestly, I’m glad I do. It isn’t a memory that brings back warm, fuzzy feelings, but it is a memory that made me grow up and learn a valuable lesson.”
“That thing I think lacks; someone else thinks is enough. That thing I think is insufficient, someone else thinks is plenty. That thing I think is ugly, someone else thinks is beautiful. That thing I toss aside, someone else would treasure.”
Of all the memories from her younger years, that single incident with Billy was the one that stood out the most. It had nothing to do with going to a fun place with friends, receiving the latest toy, or being accepted at a team in school.
It was so much more. It reminded Amy of just how much gratitude can do; how it can change our outlook and enable us to live better, happier lives.
“Gratitude gives thanks for the seed. Gratitude gives thanks for the flower. Gratitude gives thanks for the sun. Gratitude gives thanks for the rain. But gratitude doesn’t even stand a chance if it can’t simply see all that lies within its grasp. We spend so much of our life being discontent, rushing to fill the void with more fillers, more stuff, more shiny things. Convinced that what we need, what our heart desperately yearns for is more money, more trophies, more everything when what we really need is for God to open our eyes so we can see all that we already have. He’s given us all we need.”
Amy’s story is a beautiful reminder to always appreciate what we have, not because there are others who have less, but simply because it’s a way of life we all need to learn. With gratitude comes contentment, peace, and joy, and at the end of the day that’s all we ever really want, isn’t it?
“It’s not about having more. It’s about having a change of heart that teaches us to appreciate more of what we already have.”
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