One day during an all too rare telephone call with my son J. (he is the oldest of my 3 children), he interrupted our conversation momentarily to speak to someone else. Now, this is one of my pet peeves, so for a few moments, I sat there seething. In spite of that, the rational part of me listened quietly to his brief conversation, and at its close, heard him thanking someone. What caused me pause was that instead of saying the customary “thank you,” J. said “I appreciate you, man.” Such a brief statement, but its’ power immediately warmed my heart and got me thinking.
“Thank you” is defined as ‘expressing gratitude or thanks,’ whereas, “appreciate,” ‘to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.’ How many times a day do we mindlessly utter ‘thank you’ or ‘thanks‘ to someone? Think about it–lots! Just for a day or two, how about setting an intention to say “I appreciate you,” in place of “thank you” or “thanks” to the barista at the coffee shop or cafe, a colleague at work, the teller at the bank drive-thru, the cashier at the grocery store or any other number of people that you come in contact. By doing so, you are going beyond a simple thank you, to saying “I value you and what you do. It’s the small things that mean so much. Try it–what have you got to lose?
Lest I forget, J. I truly appreciate you. Blessings all,
seeking querencia 
Thank you. this s a good way to describe it. it is a good way to make it understandable that there is a difference in emphasis. a good way to use it also in ESL (English as a second language) I appreciate you sharing this!
AnnaK
LikeLike
I appreciate you for taking the time to read the post.😊 I think that simply acknowledging another person’s humanness is needed today more than ever. Saying “thank you” has become so perfunctory that it doesn’t leave the recipient with the feeling that you truly recognize that quality in them that engenders your gratitude and their uniqueness.
I intend to post more often, and I hope that you drop by again.
Blessings,
Lydia
LikeLike
This was very enlightening. I appreciate you for taking the time write and post this.
LikeLike
Dear Dennis,
I am happy to write something that speaks to others as well. Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope to see you again. I appreciate you. Blessings, Lydia
LikeLike