Sometimes God teaches us lasting lessons in the simplest moments.
In this case, it was at a school bus stop on a chilly morning.
That’s where I recently learned one of my most vivid lessons on thanksgiving — not from a sermon or a devotional guide, but from my five-year-old son and his bus driver.
The school year had just begun. Our mornings were filled with the familiar rush of new routines — the hunt for socks and mittens, the half-zipped coat, the quick instructions whispered between spoons of granola and bites of fruit. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I added one more reminder to my growing list of motherly instructions.
“Whenever you get on the bus,” I told him, “greet the driver, and remember to say thank you when you get off.”
He looked up, nodded, and said, “Okay, Mommy.”
That morning, the air was crisp enough to turn our breath into tiny clouds. The yellow bus rumbled toward the stop as Paul swung his backpack and clutched my hand. As we reached the corner, he climbed the steps, looked up at the driver, and said with a small, warm smile, “Good morning.”
The driver blinked in surprise, then smiled back.
By the following day, that small greeting had become a connection.
“Hi, Paul!” the driver called as he climbed aboard.
“Good morning,” Paul replied with a broad smile.
“How are you today?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
I stood there, amazed that the driver remembered his name and at the brief conversation that followed — one the driver himself initiated. This was a completely different driver from the one who drove him to school last year, yet it felt as though they already knew each other.
I couldn’t help but smile. Out of all the children he saw each morning — across several schools — he remembered my son. All because of a simple, consistent thank you. The driver picks up four other children from the same stop, and even till now, I haven’t witnessed such a warm exchange with any of them as he has with Paul.
A few mornings later, we were running late — just a few minutes late, but when it comes to bus times, those few minutes matter; every second counts. I flung the door open, already bracing myself to see the taillights of the bus disappearing down the street.
But there it was — parked right in front of our house.
To put things in context, our home wasn’t a bus stop. It had never been. Yet the driver had stopped. I imagine he thought, My little friend isn’t here yet. Let me wait a minute, just in case he’s running late.
“What a relief!” I thought to myself, so grateful in that moment. I hurried Paul up the steps and thanked the driver profusely for his patience. As the bus pulled away, I stood there for a moment, the hum of the engine fading down the street.
As I stood watching the bus drive off, it occurred to me — if a human being could make such allowance because of a child’s gratitude, how much more will God make room, wait patiently, and favour those who are thankful?
That thought stayed with me all day. It reminded me that sometimes God’s kindness meets us in ways we almost miss — in pauses, in delays, in small mercies disguised as ordinary moments.
This incident reminded me of the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17. Ten of them were healed, yet only one turned back to give thanks. And when he did, Jesus said something remarkable: “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” The others were healed, but the one who returned was made whole. His gratitude unlocked a deeper favour — not just healing, but wholeness.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV)
It is often the little, consistent things we do — the quiet thank-yous, the daily gratitude, the unseen kindness — that move God’s heart far more than the grand gestures ever could.
Thanksgiving changes more than our mood; it changes the atmosphere.
It reminds us that grace often lingers where gratitude lives.
A gentle smile, a small act of kindness, a simple thank you, and a lingering lesson on the power of Thanksgiving — from my son’s morning bus ride came a quiet reminder that gratitude isn’t just polite, it’s powerful!
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