By Tom Morgan

I hereby nominate the fifth Sunday as national Thank You Day.

On Thank You Day all of us should call a time-out from bitching. Time out from complaining about job, country, taxes, mates, kids, gas prices and the rest of the list.

I am serious.

Graduation ceremonies cause me to think of this. The grads bathe in the spotlight. They soak up praises for their achievements. And, yes, there is always a line about the parents and maybe grandparents. But when you ask a kid what went on he’ll boast “I graduated.”

Truth is, he was the tip a of pyramid of support. The supporters from below shouldered him gradually toward his graduation.

This is true for all of us in whatever we achieve.

I know a young man who recently graduated. He is delighted to go abroad as an exchange student. He has been accepted by the fine college he yearned for. He won national honors for his debating. His head spun into the clouds with pride for all he had achieved.

He came to earth when I asked him to thank the various people who had helped him directly. The people who took him to the college. The people who volunteered their time to train him in debate. The people who suggested he apply for the exchange program and made certain he did. He had forgotten to even tell them about his successes. So caught up was he in basking in the light from his own reflection.

How much time do we devote to appreciating the people who shaped and pushed and inspired us toward those achievements?

My guess is, not much. We spend far more time patting ourselves on the back.

Our parents. They fed, clothed, nursed, suffered, guided, paid for, listened to us.