Thanks and Giving
November 23, 2009 by David Ritter
Thanksgiving time is upon us once again. Let us remember that this is not only a time for “Thanks” to family and those true friends that will always be a part of your life, whether near or far. This is also a time for “Giving” to those whose needs are greater than yours. Take the time to thank those who have supported you, in your journey and make the time to give to those whose journeys have been derailed. We all have an angel, that deserves our thanks and we should all give that same spirit to those still searching for their angels. Many times the “Thanks” and the “Giving” are much closer than you realize.
Peace & Joy,
Dave
An experiment in gratitude
October 23, 2009 by Editor
Sometimes we forget to take the time to recognize the richness that defines our lives. This may be because many of the messages we encounter as we go about our affairs prompt us to think about what we don’t have rather than all the abundance we do enjoy. Consequently, our gratitude exists in perpetual conflict with our desire for more, whether we crave time, convenience, wealth, or enlightenment. Yet understanding and truly appreciating our blessings can be as simple as walking a mile in another’s shoes for a short period of time. Because many of us lead comparatively insular lives, we may not comprehend the full scope of our prosperity that is relative to our sisters and brothers in humanity.
If you find taking an inventory of your life’s blessings difficult, consider the ease with which you nourish your body and mind, feed your family, move from place to place, and attend to tasks at hand. For a great number of people, activities you may take for granted, such as attaining an education, buying healthy food, commuting to work, or keeping a clean house, represent great challenges. To experience firsthand the complex tests others face as a matter of course in their daily lives, try living without the amenities you most often take for granted. This can be a great experiment to undertake with your entire family or a classroom. Read more
Letters of gratitude
July 3, 2009 by Editor
We have thousands of opportunities every day to be grateful: for having good weather, to be able to sit in such a beautiful room on such comfortable furniture, to have slept well last night, to be able to get up, to be healthy, to have enough to eat… There’s opportunity upon opportunity to be grateful; that’s what life is. –Brother David Steindl-Rast
A Retired Teacher’s Letters of Gratitude:
Xu Niankui, a 76-year-old retired teacher in China, had just gotten on a bus when a young girl immediately offered up her seat for him. Xu began chatting with her, and though he couldn’t get her name or age, he found out she was from Taopu Middle School, and so sent a letter to the school thanking the anonymous girl. The school identified the good Samaritan and ended up recognizing her for her charitable act. This was a revelation for Xu: he decided that if people realized how much a simple motion like giving up their seat meant to other people, they would do similar good deeds more. Since that time in May 2007, Xu has stepped his thanking up a notch and made a habit of giving a letter of gratitude to every person who’s ever gotten up for him. [Read more here]
Be The Change:
Step it up — go out of your way to send a special thanks to someone.
~Reprinted with permission from DailyGood.org
The day the paint box fell from heaven
June 30, 2009 by Editor
When heaven paints… Watch the slide show below to see the beauty.
We live in an awesome world
Make it an awesome day
Peace to all and may God bless you
Live simply
Love generously
Care deeply
Speak kindly
Leave the rest to God
Dialogue Project and Positive Change
June 2, 2009 by Editor
Dialogue Project at MIT
There is a growing movement to promote dialogue and meaningful conversations to help us find solutions to some of our biggest problems. These ideas can help you in your personal and professional life. Below is just one of the many resources listed at the Dialogue Project website.
Corporation for Positive Change
Appreciation: Recognition and Value Added
Appreciation has to do with recognition, with valuing and with gratitude. The word “appreciate” is a verb that carries a double meaning. It refers to both the act of recognition and the act of enhancing value. Definitions include:
• to recognize the best in people and the world around us; Read more
Appreciating what is
April 20, 2009 by Editor
In each stage of life, there are wonderful experiences one can savor and valuable insights one can absorb. Every new decade and, in fact, every new year brings with it wisdom, transformation, and growth, as well as ends and beginnings. Many people, however, believe that there is one age that eclipses the others. They expend energy trying to reach it and, once it has passed, trying to retain it. But wishing to be younger or older is a denial of the joys that have been and the joys yet to be, as well as the beauty of your life in the present. Holding on to one age can make it difficult to appreciate each new milestone you reach. Taking pleasure in the delights of your age, whether you are in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or 80s, can help you see the magnificence and usefulness of the complex seasons of your life. Read more
Effects of gratitude on the body
March 26, 2009 by Editor
Gratitude is noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. And then taking the nanosecond to feel it. –Karen Krakower Kaplan
Effects of Gratitude on the Body:
Researchers have found that when we think about someone or something we really appreciate and experience the feeling that goes with the thought, the parasympathetic — calming-branch of the autonomic nervous system — is triggered. This pattern when repeated bestows a protective effect on the heart. The electromagnetic heart patterns of volunteers tested become more coherent and ordered when they activate feelings of appreciation. There is evidence that when we practice bringing attention to what we appreciate in our lives, more positive emotions emerge, leading to beneficial alterations in heart rate variability. Neurobiologically, gratitude is nested within the social emotions, along with awe, wonder, “elevation” and pride. It can be both practiced and experienced. [Read more]
~Submitted by: Dr. William B. Stewart to DailyGood.org
Keepers
November 21, 2008 by Editor
I grew up in the ’50s with very practical parents. A mother, God love her,who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it.
My father was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.
It was the time for fixing things. Read more
Creating the ripples
October 7, 2008 by Teresa D. Huggins
It is my intention that the book “Pausing … Long Enough to Notice” opens your heart to a new awareness of living a spectacular life filled with brilliant moments. It is my desire that we all live in the present moment, Read more
Creating a nightly ritual
August 6, 2008 by Editor
At the end of the day, as the sweet, dark stillness of night beckons us to lay down our bones and rest, we find ourselves at a clear transition point: Behind us lies the previous day Read more
