Ordinary Gratitude

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.

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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.

Good manners

"Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality." ~ Alfred Painter

The other day, when my husband and I were out for a "date night" dinner, we noticed the cutest little girl at a nearby table. When the waitress brought a glass of chocolate milk to the table, her parents asked (like so many parents do), "What do you say?" As she prepared to put a straw into the glass, the little girl looked at them, then at the waitress, and said quietly, "Thank you." The parents smiled and beamed their approval as the waitress smiled and gave the obligatory response: "You're welcome."

My husband and I discussed the scene we had just witnessed, both of us agreeing that it was nice that the parents were teaching their daughter good manners. But I wondered if good manners are good enough. Is saying "thank you" an expression of true gratitude, or just a way of gaining approval? Is saying "thank you" a way of hedging our bets in the hope of getting something more later?

I suppose the answer is "D. All of the above." We say "thank you" for a variety of reasons.

Teaching children to say "thank you" is easy. Teaching them to be grateful is more complicated, but it may be more important. 

Gratitude is one of the trickiest concepts to teach toddlers and preschoolers -- who are by nature self-centered -- but one of the most important. Sure, thankful children are more polite and pleasant to be around, but there's more to it than that. By learning gratitude, they become sensitive to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the way, says Barbara Lewis, author of What Do You Stand For? For Kids (Free Spirit Publishing, 2005). Grateful kids look outside their one-person universe and understand that their parents and other people do things for them -- prepare dinner, dole out hugs, buy toys. "On the flip side, kids who aren't taught to be grateful end up feeling entitled and perpetually disappointed," says Lewis. [Parents.com: Teaching Children to be Grateful]

Children model their parents, so the best place to start teaching gratitude is by demonstrating it in your everyday life. Be sure to say "please" and "thank you" when you talk to your children. Work the concept of gratitude into your conversations. At family meals, practice going around the table and saying what you are grateful for that day. 

Be patient; gratitude won't develop overnight. In the long run, you'll find that it's well worth the time and effort. By instilling a sense of gratitude, your child will likely be happier, healthier and more well-rounded teens and adults.

For more techniques on teaching appreciation, read Teaching Gratitude in the Early Years.

Nurturing the soul

"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."

-- Rabbi Harold Kushner

A million little things

"There are a million little things everyday to be grateful for. You just have to pay attention." ~~ Hari

Oprah says

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

~~ Oprah Winfrey

My parents were just kids

"My parents were just kids...They didn't know how to make a family. They hadn't a clue. At the same time, they made me who I am. And I'm very grateful for them." ~~ Sting (Gordon Sumner)

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!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~~ Melodie Beattie