Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.
Alphonse Karr
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Quote #9
The real power of gratitude is being grateful for the things that aren't yet in your physical world.
Sandra Gallagher - CEO and Co-Founder at Proctor Gallagher Institute
Quote #7
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
Colin Powell - Former United States National Security Advisor
Quote #6
Thankfulness
is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of
thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is
shown in acts.
Henri Frederic Amiel
Quote #5
The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.
Lee Iaccoca - 1924-2019 - American Automobile Executive
Quote #4
The
key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance
- and then even the small steps and little victories along your path
will take on greater meaning.
Oprah Winfrey
Quote #3
The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.
Albert Einstein - 1879-1955 - Theoretical Physicist
Quote #2
Traditions
When I was a child, my family had traditions for every holiday. I took comfort in always knowing that Thanksgiving Day would be spent at our house with my Dad barbecuing the turkey, and Christmas Eve would be a gathering of my father’s family at the home of one of my Uncles. There was never any question of where we’d go or who would be there, although there was always interest in what new boyfriend or girlfriend our teenage cousins would bring along. Even after I married, my husband and I lived near my family, and he fit into the established pattern. When we had children, they just fit in too.
Then we made the radical decision to move to Oregon, and I was worried about what I’d do without the traditions that had defined the holidays for my whole life. My fears were unnecessary, since my parents soon decided to retire and move here too, as did two of my aunts and uncles. With some modifications we once again had the comfort of the routine. Thanksgiving was at my parent’s house, with barbecued turkey, playing pool and watching football. Christmas dinner was at our house, with my husband barbecuing another turkey. New Years Day was ham at my Aunt Carol’s, and Easter was family brunch at the Country Club. It was a comfortable yearly tradition that gave our holidays structure and that we raised our children on for 20 years.
However, in the past few years our children have grown and moved away, my mother, father, Aunts and Uncles have died, and the big old house with the pool table, is now a lovely memory.
So here I am, wondering what does one do to celebrate the holidays. I must admit I wasn’t prepared to deal with this new dilemma, since I naively assumed everyone would always be here and things would just go on as they always had.
Since our children moved away and my parents died, I’ve taken each holiday as it comes, and tried to find the true meaning in what the day represents. Before it was always about family, but now that my family is dispersed or gone, what does that mean?
I’ve come to realize that there are many definitions of "family".
It’s not just the people connected by marriage or blood, but it’s also
the people to whom we’re connected by friendship and love. In these past
few years, I’ve looked around and realized my husband and I are blessed
with lots of "family". Our dear friends, who travel with us and put up
with us at all hours of the day and night (even those grumpy morning
hours), our friends who play cards with us, and with whom we laugh late
into the evening. The women I’ve connected with on a deeper level since
we’re no longer spending time parenting, and so have time for each
other. All of these and many more are family, and on every holiday, I do
what I can to gather together as many of these wonderful folks as
possible.
Of course, the "tradition" has changed. There is no
routine anymore. Every holiday is different, depending on who is
available to share the day. I’ve realized that
tradition isn’t really about what we eat or where we go. The thing that
continues to make each holiday "traditional" is that it is a gathering
together of people who care about each other. I now know it’s a time to
celebrate one another and remember once again how we are all family.
Sandy Abell
Quote #1
You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.
Marian Wright Edelman
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Quote #9
I
like to encourage people to realize that any action is a good action if
it's proactive and there is positive intent behind it.
Michael J. Fox
Quote #7
There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation traveling fast.
Brian Koslow
Quote #6
The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.
Price Pritchett - Author-Business Advisor-Speaker
Quote #5
I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.
Walt Disney
Quote #4
If a person advances confidently in the direction of their dream and endeavors to live the life they have imagined, they will meet with success unexpected in common hours.
Thoreau, 1817-1862 - American Naturalist
Quote #3
Dream
small dreams. If you make them too big, you get overwhelmed and you
don't do anything. If you make small goals and accomplish them, it gives
you the confidence to go on to higher goals.
John H. Johnson
Quote #2
Be disciplined about what you respond and react to. Not everyone or everything deserves your time, energy, and attention. Stay in your light.
Lalah Delia - Writer
Quote #1
Make it your habit not to be critical about small things.
Edward Everett Hale - 1822-1909-Author-Historian
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Daily Inspiration #10
Genius is the ability to renew one's emotions in daily experience.
Paul Cezanne - 1839-1906 - French Painter
Daily Inspiration #8
The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
William Blake - 1757-1827 - Poet-Painter-Printmaker
Daily Inspiration #7
You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.
Will Rogers
Daily Inspiration #6
The direction of the mind is more important than its progress.
Joseph Joubert - 1754-1824 - Essayist
Daily Inspiration #5
Appreciating Appreciation
There’s a song called "Thank God for Dirty Dishes" that makes the point that if you’re lucky to have enough food to make dirty dishes, you should be grateful.
So instead of grousing about your property taxes, be thankful you own property. When you have to wait in line at the bank or are stuck in traffic, just be grateful you have money in the bank and a car to drive.
It makes sense, but that doesn’t make it easy.
I have to admit that appreciation has not been a natural attribute for me. In my more ambitious days when I believed that excess was not enough, gratitude seemed like a form of surrender and a very poor life strategy. After all, if you’re satisfied with the way things are, you’ll never make them better.
What a pity I had to reach my 50s before I began to appreciate appreciation. I finally began to see that it was irresponsible and irreverent not to realize how many things I should feel grateful for. I also came to realize how good it feels to acknowledge how good I have it.
Real gratitude is much more than politeness, like saying thank you when someone passes the salt or conveys good wishes; it’s a deeper psychological state of genuine thankfulness.
Whether we believe whatever good fortune we have is the product of our own labor and talents, random luck, or a gift from God, the fact remains that each of us could spend a full day identifying all the things that merit gratitude.
According to an old proverb, "If you never learn the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness."
I’m still a beginner, but it’s true; the more I appreciate, the happier I am. That’s a lesson I want my children to learn.
Michael JosephsonDaily Inspiration #3
Go as far as you can see. When you get there you will see how you can go farther.
Thomas Carlyle - 1795-1881 - British Historian-Essayist-Philosopher-Mathematician-Teacher
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