Early at Year’s End, A Word of Gratitude to Those Who Have Shown Us Kindness

In the final days of the year, life seems to move to a different rhythm. People still rush back and forth, work remains demanding, yet somewhere deep inside, a quiet pause begins to form. It is a pause for reflection, for looking back on the road we have traveled, and for realizing that beyond success or failure, what lingers most deeply is the human warmth that carried us through life’s bends and turns.

Vietnamese tradition reminds us to remember the source when we drink water. This simple teaching follows us from childhood, yet we often forget to truly live by it. Only when the year slows to a close do we suddenly realize how much kindness we have received without ever fully saying thank you.

Life itself is a chain of encounters. Some meetings pass like a breeze, others remain and become lasting bonds. From a first handshake, to sitting beside someone on a crowded bus, to long late night conversations, every person who enters our life leaves a mark. Some bring joy, some bring lessons, and some quietly stand behind us, helping us rise after we fall.

The great poet Nguyễn Du once wrote that the heart is worth more than talent. In the end, what makes us remember someone is not how capable they were, but how they treated us when we were most fragile. A word of encouragement at the right moment can be more precious than countless praises when we are already successful.

Looking back on a year, everyone has faced rough stretches. Some experienced setbacks at work, some endured losses in the family, others fought silent battles with unnamed sadness. Yet during those days when it felt impossible to continue, there was always a hand reaching out. It might have been a meal prepared by a mother waiting up late, a worried glance from a father, a caring message from an old friend, or simply a stranger offering a seat on an exhausting ride home.

There is a Vietnamese saying that a small gift when hungry is worth more than a feast when full. Kindness at the moment we need it most carries a special weight. It not only helps us overcome immediate hardship, but also restores our faith that the world still holds warmth worth striving for.

The end of the year is a time when we think of our parents more deeply. Their hair has grown whiter with each passing season, their backs have bent with the years, yet their eyes still hold the same boundless love for their children. Many parents have never spoken grand words of affection. They simply worked quietly, saving every little bit so their children could live better lives than they once did. A traditional verse teaches that a father’s labor is as vast as a mountain and a mother’s love flows like an endless spring. We hear these lines from childhood, but only truly understand them as we grow older.

Gratitude toward parents is not measured by expensive gifts, but by shared family meals, regular phone calls, and the patience to sit and listen to their old stories. Our time may still feel long, but theirs grows shorter with each passing year. Our presence in their lives is the greatest gift we can offer.

Beside family stands the life partner, the person who walks with us through all four seasons. Marriage is not a fairy tale of roses and candlelight. It is hurried mornings, bills that need paying, disagreements, and nights spent worrying about the future of the children. Yet amid all this, there is someone who chooses to stay, to share the burdens, and to hold our hand as we move forward.

An old saying tells us that when husband and wife are united, even the vast sea can be drained. That unity not only helps a family withstand storms, but also creates a peaceful haven where each person can return after facing the pressures of society. Gratitude toward a spouse may be as simple as a word of recognition, a timely embrace, or quiet understanding when the other is overwhelmed but cannot yet say so.

If we are fortunate, life also gives us a few true friends. They do not need to be present every day or speak constantly, yet a single look is enough for mutual understanding. These are the people willing to listen to us vent at midnight, to pull us back when we are about to make a foolish choice, and to feel genuine joy when we succeed.

Vietnamese wisdom says that wealth comes from friends, honor from a spouse. True friendship is an invisible but priceless asset. Through the years of growing up, friends help us expand our world, reflect on ourselves, and often rescue us from loneliness in the middle of crowded streets.

Then there are our children, gifts that are both sweet and demanding. Each child comes into our life like a blank page, fragile yet full of promise. We teach them how to speak and walk, but they teach us patience, unconditional love, and how to slow down and appreciate life’s simplest moments.

Watching children grow day by day, we understand more deeply the idea that new bamboo shoots rise as old bamboo ages. The next generation is the continuation of the previous one. Loving and being grateful for our children is not because they owe us, but because their presence makes our lives fuller and more meaningful.

Amid all these expressions of gratitude, we should also save a part for ourselves. Over the past year, we have faced many moments of uncertainty. There were times we wanted to give up, times we felt small in a vast world. Yet we are still here, still breathing, still hoping, still daring to dream. That alone is a quiet achievement.

There is an old teaching that with enough perseverance, an iron bar can be ground into a needle. Our daily endurance may seem ordinary, but it forms the foundation for every future change. Being grateful to ourselves is not arrogance. It is acknowledging the silent effort we have made not to collapse.

Beyond those close to us are people we may never meet, yet who help safeguard our peace. They are soldiers at distant borders, officers maintaining order, doctors on night shifts, sanitation workers cleaning the streets while the city sleeps. Because of them, we can study, work, and care for our families with a sense of security.

Throughout Vietnamese culture, the image of the soldier is tied to quiet sacrifice. The spirit of placing the nation and the people above oneself has become a lasting moral value. Whenever we think of them, deep gratitude arises, because the peace we enjoy today is exchanged for the sweat, effort, and sometimes even the blood of others.

The year’s end is also a moment to reflect on how we have treated those around us. Have we been patient enough with our parents? Have we listened enough to our partners? Have we been sincere enough with friends? Have we been gentle enough with our children? Gratitude should not remain only a feeling in the heart. It needs to be shown through everyday actions.

Vietnamese culture has long valued meaningful human bonds. From simple gestures of sharing food to visiting one another during holidays, these traditions reflect a desire to maintain connections between people. In modern life, where everything moves faster and pressures grow heavier, we need to hold on to this beauty like a small flame that warms the soul.

As the clock moves toward a new year, each of us receives another chance to begin again. But before stepping forward, perhaps the most meaningful thing is to pause, make a phone call, send a message, or simply tell someone in front of us that we are grateful they have been by our side.

In the end, what defines the value of a year is not how much money we earned or how many titles we gained. What remains deepest is how many people we have loved, and how many people have loved us in return.

The old year closes in quiet reflection. The new year opens with fresh hope. May we carry forward the spirit of remembering those who planted the trees whose fruit we enjoy, so that wherever we go and whatever we do, we never forget to return to the roots of love and gratitude.