This past week Peter and I were in Florida for the memorial service for his brother Stephen. It was so special to see so many people come to spend time together and share memories. There was a brief memorial service and as you could imagine lots of tears and sniffles.

When I think of all the faces in the room, there were two that stood out – Bob and Eric. They were the two people who were with Stephen every day for many years.

As we shared memories of our experiences with Stephen, I could see the sadness on their faces. At one point I was able to address them directly and thank them for their special devotion to Stephen and the many sacrifices they had made over the years.

It was in thinking of them and all the challenges they had dealt with over the years, that I truly began to understand the gift of their time, love, and presence in my life in addition to Stephen’s. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this to think of all they have contributed to my life.

I wasn’t a big presence in Stephen’s life, but because they shared so much of their lives with Stephen, I was able to do the things I’ve chosen to do. It was because of them that Peter and I were able to go to school, work in many different jobs, move around the country and live our lives.

Are there people in your life that are not actively a part of it, but enable you to do the things you choose to do? Have you thanked them lately? Do you even know or understand what they are doing to support you?

Sometimes it’s good to take a moment and appreciate the work that is being done to support you, especially when it is mostly invisible to you.

Choosing to value someone and share that appreciation is an amazingly powerful way to not only support someone important to you, but it also comes right back to you in ways you may never know. I guarantee at a minimum, you will feel an amazing sense of gratitude and joy when you take the time to say thank you.