Ray's Daily

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

Thornton Wilder

For the last couple of days the Daily talked about thankfulness and gratitude in anticipation of our Thanksgiving Day national holiday tomorrow. I hope you have as much to be thankful for as I do and not just because we are so much better off than millions of others but also because we appreciate those who contribute so much to our wellbeing. We are better fed, better clothed and better housed than most of the folks in this world and yet many of us don’t seem to appreciate that we are, in fact some want even more.

Fortunately we each have the opportunity to reflect on our lives and to see how much we truly have to be thankful for. Yesterday I got this timely piece mailed to me from Self Improvement on Line that can help us all too truly understand how fortunate we are. I have made minor edits for space.

5 Great Ways to Express Thankfulness Year-Round

By Loren Meier

What are the biggest parts of positive thinking and the law of attraction? Can you guess?

Appreciation and gratitude! The title may have given it away, huh?

Start appreciating what you have right now!  I am challenging you to start getting the “attitude of gratitude”! Start by appreciating what and whom you already have in your life. Be thankful! Celebrate Thanksgiving everyday (minus the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and crazy Aunt Sally!). Here are a few steps you can follow to get in the mood of appreciation.

Step one: Appreciate what you have right now!

You may not have the car, home, money or clothes that you want right now. Even so, be thankful for what you do have. Appreciating what you have right now will create a feeling of abundance. If you focus on wanting or on being discontent, those negative thoughts will attract even more negative feelings.

I am thankful for the clothes I have, the food I eat, and the home I have. I am thankful for the car I drive. Sure, I might want a house cleaner, fancier shoes and a car that doesn’t have so many miles and is better on gas and more environmentally friendly. But right now, I am thankful for my car because it gets me where I want to go. I am thankful for my clothes because they cover me up, protect me from the sun, keep me warm, and spare others from seeing me in my birthday suit.

What are you thankful for? Write in down, say it out loud, “I am so happy and thankful that….!”

Step two: Appreciate the people in your life.

Write a list of what you appreciate about the people close to you. Include your family, friends, and coworkers. You will probably be amazed at how much more you love and enjoy each person once you start recognizing their good points. Start your list for the people that mean the most for you.

Step three: Keep an appreciation journal.

Encourage everyone in your family to keep his or her own appreciation journal. Every night before you go to bed write down 5-10 things that you appreciated that day in your journal. This is a wonderful and rewarding task to do with your children. If your kids are too small, sit down with them and have them tell you what they appreciated and write it down for them. You will both benefit from the effort and they will go to sleep thankful and positive. Psychologists tell us that it takes 21 days of repetition to create a habit. Play it safe and keep your journal for at least a month and you will be thankful!

Step four: Create a family appreciation board.

So many times we don’t tell the people who mean the most to us how thankful and appreciative we are of them. A great activity to do is to create an appreciation cork board to let the people in your family know what you appreciate about them. Put little post-its near the board so anyone can add an appreciation anytime they want. This is a great tool for the whole family and makes both people happy. We all like to feel appreciated. This board will create a happier, healthier, and more positive bond for your family.

Step five: Write thank you notes!

Thank you notes are a great way to get the “attitude of gratitude”. Create a habit with your kids to send, or even make thank you notes. It not only teaches them to be thankful, but it also can be a fun art activity.

When you are thinking about all the things you are thankful for, here are a few topics you can think about: Health, Friendship, Your Free Time, Family, Where you live, Intelligence, Uniqueness, Great Ideas and a Sense of Humor. I hope these tips help you get motivated to start being grateful. We might not have exactly what we want, but when we appreciate what we do have more of what we really want will follow. Well, I appreciate you, for reading this article and for being who you are! Here’s a big thank you card to you all, Thank You!

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A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.

Cicero

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“College Tidbits”

* Father: “Son, I’m very worried about you being at the bottom of your class.”  Son: “Don’t fret Dad. They teach the same stuff to both ends.”

* In a way, colleges & insane asylums are both mental institutions.  The major difference being you have to show some improvement to “graduate” from an asylum.

* A student comes back to the dorm & finds his roommate near tears. “What’s the matter, pal?” he asked.  “I wrote home for my parents to send money so that I could buy a laptop, and they sent me the laptop.” he moaned.

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“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.

Morris West

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A North Carolina man, having bought several expensive cigars, insured them against… get this… fire. After he had smoked them, he then decided that he had a claim against the insurance company and filed. The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigar normally. The man sued. The judge stated that since the company had insured the cigars against fire, they were obligated to pay. After the man accepted payment for his claim, the company then had him arrested ….. for arson.

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A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

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The preacher just finished his sermon for the day and proceeded toward the back of the church for his usual greetings and handshaking as the congregation left the church. After shaking a few adult hands he came upon the seven year old son of one of the Deacons of the church.

“Good morning, Jonathan,” the preacher said as he reached out to shake Joanthan’s hand.

As he was doing do he felt something in the palm of Jonathan’s hand. “What’s this?” the preacher asked.

“Money,” said Jonathan with a big smile on his face, “It’s for you!”

“I don’t want to take your money, Jonathan,” the preacher answered.

“I want you to have it,” said Jonathan. After a short pause Jonathan continued, “My daddy says you’re the poorest preacher we ever had and I want to help you.”

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Half the people you know are below average.

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The kids said:

WHAT IS THE PROPER AGE TO GET MARRIED? “Eighty-four. Because at that age, you don’t have to work anymore, and you can spend all your time loving each other.” (Judy, 8)

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE? “On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.” (Mike, 10)

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE? “You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR, ’cause she’ll want to have videos of the wedding.” (Jim, 10)

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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

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Note: The Daily will be taking a few days off to celebrate all we have to be thankful for.

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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