Ordinary Gratitude

Tonsillectomy

My nearly-5-year-old grandson had his tonsils removed this morning. My son has been a nervous wreck, worrying about putting him under general anesthesia. When I got the text, "He's out of surgery and in recovery," from my son, I was so relieved!

"Great!" I texted back.

Later I sent my son another text message: "How is he doing? How are you doing? Relieved?"

"He's doing good," was the response. "Glad it's over. Man I was a mess!"

No matter where you live, worrying about your kids is one thing parents around the world have in common. Even my mom still worries about my brother who is in his 60s. It never ends. It doesn't matter how old you are or how old your kids are, they are still your kids, and you still worry.

Today I am enormously grateful that my grandson's tonsillectomy went well. And I want to thank everyone at Children's Hospital for taking such good care of my family.

Brad Cohen: Front of the Class

Front of the Class is inspired by the true story of Brad Cohen, a young man diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome who overcomes considerable odds to become a gifted teacher. Moreover, he credits his Tourette's for giving him the strength, drive and determination to become a teacher.

Is there something bugging you about your life, past or present, that has been a blessing in disguise? Whatever that something may be, take a moment to acknowledge it, thank it, and bless it for being a part of your life.

Buy Brad Cohen's book: Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had

Strong bones

I am enormously grateful for my mom's strong bones! She fell again today; the second time in a week. Fortunately, this time there was only one step down, no furniture or other obstacles.

My husband and I were trying to take a nap downstairs when we heard a big crash! We knew what it was: Mom had fallen again. We both rushed upstairs to see what had happened. There was a moment, a feeling, as I was running up the steps, when I was afraid of what I might find. Just like last week, I got visions of paramedics, flashing lights and sirens. I was relieved to see her sitting in the middle of the living room floor.

My mom is over 85 years old. She's fallen several times over the last ten years or so, a half-dozen times in the last year, twice in the last week. She bruises easily, so she's always black and blue somewhere after a fall, but [knock on wood] she's never broken anything more than a fingernail. She even fell down an escalator at the airport a couple years ago with little damage other than bruises, especially to her ego.

Over the last 5 years, as the primary caregiver for my mother, I've become acutely aware of the importance of strong bones. I'm not very good at remembering my daily calcium, and I prefer soy milk over cow milk, so I may not be as fortunate as my mom when I'm older. I'm hoping heredity helps. In the meantime, I'll try to remember to take my calcium, magnesium and vitamin D to keep my bones strong.

I want to be grateful for my own strong bones when I'm in my 80s!

For now, I'm truly grateful to Nature, to God, to the Divine, to the Goddess, that my mother's bones are really strong!

She fell but she didn't break!

I am so grateful that my mom is still walking and talking and moving around today. You see, this tough 85-year-old woman fell down a small set of stairs yesterday. I'm also grateful she has strong bones. She's bruised and sore, but doing okay. I'll take her to the doctor early this week when I can get an appointment just to check everything out. I'm sure he'll want to get some x-rays. For now, I'm just grateful she was able to get up and go to church.

Read the entire story at my other blog: Life with my Mom.

Measuring the Grateful Disposition

Most people report being grateful (an average rating of nearly 6 on a 7 point scale).

Well-Being: Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress.  The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions.  Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others.  They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002).

Spirituality: Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities such as prayer reading religious material score are more likely to be grateful.  Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life and a commitment to and responsibility to others (McCullough et. al., 2002). Gratitude does not require religious faith, but faith enhances the ability to be grateful.

Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of  others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.

via http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/

Baby Riley

"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the Kingdom of God." [Mark 10:13]

A friend of ours shared some very sad news today. While she was out of state visiting her family last weekend, her baby came into the world 2 1/2 months premature. Because she's in her late 30s, this was considered a high-risk pregnancy anyway. Today doctors confirmed that he has Down's Syndrome. Poor little Riley has been struggling since his early arrival, still on a respirator in the pediatric intensive care unit. The doctors said that Down's is the underlying cause of the problems Riley has had since birth.

The chances are slim that Riley will ever be able to breathe on his own without a respirator. He's so tiny and fragile. Now these friends are faced with a decision no new parent should ever have to make: whether or not to remove him from the respirator. I know my friends love their tiny son and will make the best decision for him.

Life's tragedies always serve to remind us to be grateful, and I am. I am grateful that my child and my grandchildren have all been healthy. I am grateful that I didn't have to make such a difficult decision.

I'm also grateful that my wonderful friends have so many people who love and care about them. So many prayers and well-wishes have been written on their wall at Facebook. I know that being away from home has made the ordeal that much harder, but parents and other family members are with them in this dark hour. 

And as grim as things may look today, I know that with the support and love of friends and family, they will get through this. I am honored to be counted as a friend and to offer my thoughts and prayers to their family. 

I dedicate today's post to Riley Sterling, Joy and Shawn. May angels surround them, and may they find comfort in the arms of the Divine.

(Update: Baby Riley left this life at 1:50 pm, Saturday, January 23, 2010. During his short life he was deeply loved by his parents, extended family and friends.)

Come Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
With light and comfort from above.
Be Thou our Guardian, Thou our Guide,
Stay close by every child's side.
Amen!

Make a Gratitude Adjustment

Gratitude is a sentiment we'd all do well to cultivate, according to positive psychologists, mental health clinicians and researchers who seek to help everyone create more joy in life. Feeling thankful and expressing that thanks makes you happier and heartier—not hokier.

The biggest bonuses come from experiencing gratitude habitually, but natural ingrates needn't despair. Simple exercises can give even skeptics a short-term mood boost, and "once you get started, you find more and more things to be grateful for," says Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher at the University of California at Davis.

via www.psychologytoday.com

On the mend

After a lengthy bout with a cold that led to ear and respiratory infections, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm on the mend. Today was the first day in over 2 weeks that I woke up and felt like doing anything. I actually walked on my treadmill for 25 minutes. For that, I am truly grateful!

Anyone who has had a cold or the flu, much less an extended or chronic illness, knows how tiring being sick can be. (I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.) It can be difficult to remember what "well" feels like, and you begin to wonder if you'll ever feel well again.

For weeks I coughed until my ribs and diaphram hurt and I thought I was getting a hernia. Exhausted, I spent nights sitting in the recliner or on the couch, trying to get some sleep. Finally, my cough began to subside and I managed to get a little sleep. That was the first sign that maybe, just maybe, I was going to make it through this.

Today I may not be back to 100%, but I'm heading in that direction. Still coughing a bit, but I trust that my body is working the way it should and ridding itself of the remaining gunk. I feel better today than I did yesterday, and will likely feel better tomorrow than I do today.

When you're sick, look for the small signs of improvement and appreciate your body's wisdom.

Wake Up Grateful

It's not enough to wake up in the morning. When you open your eyes, give thanks for a fresh, new chance at life.

 

Feeling sluggish in the morning? Try starting the day with a Sun Salutation. Follow the complete sequence of yoga poses at the Paper Free Initiative.