[英]韦达博伊德乔恩/Viete Boyd Jon
几年前，我从学校毕业，刚来丹佛工作时，一次开车去密苏里州的父母家过圣诞节。我在离俄克拉荷马城约50公里的一个加油站停了下来，准备去看望一位朋友。我加满油，在收银台前排着队，并和一对也来加油的老夫妇打了个招呼。
我驾车离开，走了不过几英里，汽车的排气管就冒出了浓浓黑烟。我把车停在路边，想着该怎么办。
一辆车在我身后停了下来。原来是刚才在加油站问候过的那对老夫妇。他们说，可以把我送到我朋友家。我们在进城途中聊了一路，下车时，老先生把他的名片给了我。
后来，我写了一封感谢信感谢他们对我的帮助。很快，我就收到了他们寄来的圣诞包裹，并附有一张纸条，上面说，他们的假期因为帮助我而有了意义。
多年后，在一个雾蒙蒙的早晨，我驾车去附近的一个城镇参加会议。黄昏时，我回到车前，发现车灯一整天都亮着，蓄电池的电已经耗完了。就在那时，我看到旁边正好是“友好福特经销处”。我走过去，发现两个销售员正在展厅里休息，店里并没有什么顾客。
“请问‘友情福特经销处‘可以给我提供友情支持吗？”我问道，并解释着自己遇到的麻烦。
很快，他们就开着一辆轻便小汽车来到我的车前，接上跳线的电缆，开动了我的车。他们没有接受任何报酬，因此当我回到家时，我就为他们写了一封感谢信。
后来我收到其中一位销售员的回信。他说，从来都没有人会花时间写信对他说“谢谢”，这封信对他来说意义深远。
几年后，朋友的丈夫帕特去世了。他曾在一家大医院工作，是一位受人尊敬的医生，因此家里收到了数百张卡片。其中一张极富同情的卡片，是曾为他们家工作过的水管工送的。他在卡片上写道，当帕特为他付工钱时曾在发票上写道：“谢谢您，工作做得不错。”
“谢谢”——多么有力的两个字。它们很容易说出口，但意义非凡。
Many years ago，when I was fresh out of school working in Denver，I was driving to my parents’home in Missouri for Christmas.I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City，where I was planning to stop and visit a friend.I pumped the tank full，stood in line at the cash register，and said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off，but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from my exhaust pipe.I pulled over and wondered what I should do.
A car pulled up behind me.It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station.They said they would take me to my friend’s.We chatted on the way into the city，and when I got out of the car，the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for rescuing me.Soon afterward，I received a Christmas package from them.Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
Years later，I drove through a foggy morning to a conference in a nearby town.In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day，and the battery was dead.Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership was right next door.I walked over and found two salesmen relaxing in a showroom devoid of customers.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford？”I asked and explained my trouble.
They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car，attached jumper cables，and started my car.They would accept no payment，so when I got home，I wrotethem a note to say thanks.
I received a letter back from one of the salesmen.No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you，and it meant a lot，he said.
Another few years had passed when a friend’s husband died.Pat had been a well-respected doctor at a big hospital，and hundreds of cards were sent to the family.Among them was a sympathy card from a plumber who had once worked at their house.He wrote that when Pat had paid the bill，he wrote on the invoice，“Thank you for a good job.”
“Thank you”—the two powerful words.They’re easy to say and mean so much.