Juan works behind the deli counter at the local supermarket. I come in so often that he has given me a nickname. He calls me Johnny Bravo. I really liked the name – even thought about taking it on as a character in a new story – until I found out it already was a TV series on Cartoon Network from 1997-2004 dubbed: “The misadventures of a dumb blond egomaniac who is deluded about his own manliness.”
Well, so much for one man’s idea of Johnny Bravo. I still like it and smile every time he calls me that.
But there’s another thing Juan does a lot. He says, “Thank you, Johnny.” He just says it out of nowhere. It’s totally unrelated to anything I’ve done, just “Thank you, Johnny,” for no reason at all. It’s often the first thing he says when he sees me. “Thank you, Johnny.”
Thank you for what? For being? For being alive? For being there? For showing up? It could be any of these things. It could be all of these things. All I know is that it is basic, fundamental appreciation.
I believe there is something here for us all. Think about thanking everybody in your life. First things first. Thank them first and then move on from there. And whether you say it out loud to someone or just say it in your heart, it will influence how you see them and how you treat them.
But I must say, it feels really good when you hear it out loud. “Thank you, John.” It’s like you’ve got a head start on being appreciated before you’ve done anything at all.
John Fischer The Catch 
Dear John
Thank you a thousand times.
For being.
And for encouraging others like me just to be and to listen to God.
Thank you John
Thank you John! I know you aren’t ‘Fisching’ for compliments or praise, but Thank You for hearing the voice of God and sharing it with your family here every day.
I always rather liked Johnny Bravo — as did my son: he was a great object lesson about vanity although, now that you mention it, I doubt I’d want to be likened to him any more than Juan would want to be known as “Don Juan”. But as for giving thanks for no apparent reason, remember that Jesus gave thanks *before* feeding the multitudes, without actually saying why. John’s Gospel refers to them passing, later on, the place where the multitude were fed “after the Lord had given thanks”. So it wasn’t the miracle that was the big deal to John, it was the giving of thanks. Something worth remembering when we need favor in our own lives, be it from God or others.
Thanks John and Marti for being a constant source of encouragement. Thanks John and Marti just for being who you are. Much Love!!