A legend tells of two angels, each carrying a basket, who came to this earth. The one said, "My basket is large to carry men's thanks back to heaven. And, oh, this earth is so beautiful, I'll have to pack my basket carefully to get my load back to heaven."

Said the other angel, "I'll help you when I get through. Though my basket is small, I'm to carry the complaints of earth's people to God. Surely my basket will be large enough and to spare. God's gifts are so evident here. But you will surely need your large basket."

Away they sped, each on his errand. They met again at dark. Both were tired and sad. The one with the big basket had the bottom barely covered with thanksgiving. How could it be? he thought. Mankind had so much to be thankful for, and yet this was all the thanks he could carry back to God at the end of the day.

The other angel, with the small basket, had had to make three trips to heaven during the day, carrying complaints to the Father. This angel was bewildered. With such a beautiful world to live in, and so many blessings of the Father, where did mankind find so many complaints?

It is a well-known fact among people who deal in service to their fellow men that you seldom receive thanks for what you do. You are just grateful when you receive no complaints! A story is told of a teen-ager who rescued a small child who had fallen into the water. He took the dripping and frightened youngster home to her mother, only to be scolded by the mother because he had not rescued the child's lost shoe, as well.

This may be an exaggeration of the general attitude of human beings, but it is true that the art of thankfulness is being lost. "Thank you" is just an easy phrase to say, and it means so much, yet how often we forget to use it.

We not only fail to thank our fellow human beings but we fail to thank God for His many blessings. He has given us so many blessings. Even to start to enumerate them would fill a page. And yet, how often we forget to express our thankfulness.

Let's take that phrase "Thank you" out of cold storage. Let's put it in the file of our most-used words. Let's express our gratitude as often as we can. Such a procedure will make us more aware of the many things people -- and God -- do for us, besides astonishing persons who are not used to being thanked for what they have done. Let's help fill up the angel's big basket with our expressions of thankfulness.