Dear Annie: It is sad that some donât feel gratitude

Dear Annie: Frequently, I read letters in your column from older people complaining that their children, grandchildren and others do not acknowledge gifts or send thank-you notes. I have another take on this. If someone doesn’t thank another for a favor done or a gift given, maybe it is because he or she doesn’t feel the emotion of gratitude. How sad. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are important enough to another person for them to give you a gift or a special service. If they don’t feel this, they are the ones who are the poorer for it. I have come to realize that the inability to feel gratitude is terribly impoverishing. Maybe gratitude is the modern secular equivalent of the Christian idea of grace. The gift-giver loves me despite my faults, just as Christians believe that God loves and forgives them despite their faults. — Secular Grace

Dear Secular Grace: In response to your lovely letter, a quote: “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — G.K. Chesterton

Read more Dear Annie and other advice columns.

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].