Thank you letterの力

今朝メールをチェックしていたらとてもいい話を見つけました。
50代のアメリカ人男性ですが、いままで全く感謝してこなかった人たちに感謝しようと思い立ち、多くの人たちに心をこめてThank you letterを書いたそうです。

その中には昔大変お世話になったもう今は80代になった先生がいました。
その先生から以下のようなお返事が来ました。　

My dear Willie,

I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me.

I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind.

You will be interested to know that I taught school for 50 years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received.

 It came on a blue-cold morning, and it cheered me as nothing has in many years.

この男性はこのメッセージを読んで泣きくずれたそうです。　

私も素晴らしいメッセージを送ってくれた友人にThank you letterを書きました。

みなさんとその内容をシェアします。

Dearest Mr. and Mrs. X,

Reading your email, I could not help crying.

You are the real ANGELS on earth to me.

I’ve had such tough weeks physically and mentally;you gave me the warmest message which deeply touched my heart.

After the terrible earthquake on Mar.11,  I soon sent my daughters to one of the safest places in Japan, Kumamoto,  where my parents live.

Yes, I was so worried about the nuclear power plant radiation leakages.

But things are finally calming down here..

We still have scheduled blackouts, less trains, a little shortages of food and goods supply (nothing serious) in Tokyo; we are doing OK, so far.

It should be inevitable that  we will be affected by the radiation gradually.

We can not do anything about the water we use everyday and the air we breathe every minute...

I now think that we must accept our fate and live with this environment.

I decided to spend my life doing something good to improve the situation here.

My daughters came back just yesterday from my parents’ place.

That was their choice.

They valued their school and social life here in Tokyo more than their healthier life.

I can not blame it. 

Thank you so much for your sincere concern.

You are my sunshine, really!

Again, thank you so much for cheering me up.

With massive gratitude and love,

Miwako