Ordinary Gratitude

Haiti Children's Choir

You have to see this. What a beautiful group of children singing Neil Young's "When God Made Me." A tribute to the resilient spirit of a people who have witnessed so much tragedy.

Brees: Star On and Off Football Field

Every professional athlete owes a debt of gratitude to the fans and management, and pays an installment every time he plays. He should never miss a payment. ~~Bobby Hull

The story of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints is so inspiring. When I saw this in the pre-Super Bowl coverage, it brought me to tears. Again, here's someone who is grateful for what others might see as a detriment. Brees and his wife saw it as an opportunity -- and did something about it. They express their gratitude by being part of and giving back to the community that has embraced them.

Drew Brees is a star quarterback both on the field and off. He has become the savior of New Orleans Saints fans for taking his team to the Super Bowl, and he is equally loved for his charity work in the community after Hurricane Katrina.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Joy, Hope and Soul from Haiti

These people deserve to be seen and heard. Enjoy!

"Despite the difficulties of life in the aftershock of Haiti's 7.0 earthquake, joy, hope, and soul flow from Haiti like rivers of life cascading down a mountain stream." Fireside International

Katie Couric interviews Drew Brees

I'm grateful to be sitting in my family room, warm and dry, watching the best Super Bowl game I've seen in years! Who Dat!

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees speaks with Katie Couric about his thoughts going into the Super Bowl, what the city of New Orleans has meant to him and his family, the possibility of a political future, and explains "who dat?"

Watch CBS News Videos Online

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

Secrets of Success: Gratitude

I want to share this post I found at iafrica.com, a site for those doing business in Africa. These Secrets of Success are valuable for doing business anywhere.

Secrets of Success: Gratitude

Gratitude leads to success. Gratitude turns fear into freedom, denial into acceptance and anger into love.

Gratitude generates positive energy, happiness and peace. Cicero, an ancient Roman philosopher and politician, said that "gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." Living with grace and gratitude leads to happiness and spiritual development. Thanks giving, grace and gratitude purify our hearts, sharpen our souls and attract abundance into our lives.

Given the pain and misery in the world around us, we should be deeply grateful for the suffering we have been spared. And, if we are thankful for the little things in life, our appreciation of the bigger things will be all the greater. Ungratefulness generates negative energy, contraction and suffering. It fuels greed, jealousy and mistrust. It creates an impoverished mind.

Exercise an attitude of gratitude. Say "thank you for life" everyday — and you will not need any other prayer. Awaken your potential, knowing that the power of gratitude is within you.

Affirmation: I am grateful for all I have

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. – Cicero

via iafrica.com

The road to happiness

Our minds are as different as our faces. We are all traveling to one destination: happiness, but few are going by the same road. ~~ Charles C. Colton

Destination happiness, joy, bliss – all aboard! This is one train I do enjoy being on no matter what it looks like. I get an image of the Polar Express on its journey to the North Pole on Christmas Eve going through all kinds of terrain and adventures and finally arriving to a joyous celebration. The journey itself is a celebration the more I continue to accept all the gifts of Spirit along the way and appreciate the beauty and symmetry of the process. I had all kinds of conversations about acceptance of what is yesterday. It’s great to keep talking about it because it keeps me in the energy and awareness that there really is nothing to resist; that’s just shadow boxing. It’s all God, it’s all good and I am filled with gratitude and appreciation.

via turnitaroundproject.blogspot.com

What does your road to happiness look like? What obstacles are in the way? Are these obstacles real or imaginary? What does the scenery look like? Is it lush and green, cold and frozen, or barren and empty? What route are you taking? Are you traveling alone, or is someone on the journey with you? What does the destination look like? Will someone be there waiting for you? 

If you can get a clear picture of what your version of happiness is, you may find that the path to getting there is smoother and shorter than you realized. In fact, you may discover that you're already there.

They Sang

"We have to be there for them in their hour of need." President Barack Obama

This is a very difficult post for me to write. My heart is breaking for the people in Haiti where a 7+ earthquake hit yesterday evening just before 5:00 local time. So much devastation. So much poverty. But I have to be honest: I am so grateful to be in Colorado right now and not living in Haiti.

I almost feel guilty sitting here at my computer in my home office. I have heat, electricity, toilets, telephones, and plenty of food and clean water. I have everything I need and much more. How can there be people with so little living so close to the richest country in the world? Are we so self-absorbed that we don't notice the suffering of others until disaster strikes?

Today I will take a nice hot shower knowing that in Haiti there is no running water, hot or otherwise. I will go to my freezer to peruse my choices as I decide what to fix my family for dinner, never doubting that when I flip the switch the lights will come on and my electric stove will heat up. Or maybe I'll order a pizza to be delivered to my door by some young driver who has likely filled his tank with gas from the station down the street. I'll talk to my husband by cell phone, send a text message to my son working in New York, and email friends and associates all from the comfort and safety of my home. For all these things I am truly grateful.

Tragic reports and photos have been displayed on the TV news channels for over 24 hours now. I've been glued to CNN and MSNBC watching the horror and devastation in grim detail on my high-def television, unable to look away. I've tried to imagine walking out my front door and seeing my neighbors' houses flattened, driving down the street and seeing stores and schools turned to rubble, unable to contact my loved ones, not knowing if they are dead or alive. The idea is so foreign to me that it is almost incomprehensible. What would I do? Where would I go? Who would I turn to?

Last night as I watched the tragedy unfold I was struck by reports of survivors singing and praying in the streets after the earthquake hit. They sang songs of praise and gratitude as they cleared rubble from the streets, searched through buildings turned to flattened concrete, pulled bodies from the wreckage, and tended to the injured and dying. We are all blessed by this testament to the strength and resiliency of the people living in one of the poorest countries in the world. For that I am also grateful.

Disasters like this earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Sumatra, or Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, remind us of all that we have to be grateful for, but for most of us the effect is temporary. Eventually we go back to our comfort zone and forget how fortunate we are. We complain about our perceived lack and wish for all the stuff our neighbors have until another disaster comes along to remind us of the beauty in our lives every day.

How will you hold onto that recognition of gratitude long after the disaster is no longer in the news? How will you acknowledge how rich your life is?

Everyday I will join the Haitians in songs of gratitude and parise. Everyday I will offer prayers for those who are suffering. Everyday I will remember to say "thank you" for my life.

So what do we do now? Visit Guidestar.org for a list of reputable charitable organizations working in Haiti. Please give what you can, as much as you can.

[photo from nola.com)

"Can hear people gathered in the distance singing prayers," wrote Richard Morse, hotel manager at the Oloffson Hotel, on Twitter. (CNN.com)

"Church groups are singing throughout the city all through the night in prayer. It is a beautiful sound in the middle of a horrible tragedy." -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince at 03:09 a.m. Wednesday (posted at CNN.com)

"I'm hearing singing and praying from from the carrefour feuilles area.. My prayers go out to the folks there"-- From Twitter user RAMhaiti in Haiti at 9:26 p.m. ET Tuesday (posted at CNN.com)

The faithful prayed -- for relief, for mercy, for safety -- as aftershocks rumbled across Haiti on Tuesday evening. (CNN.com)