Begin Your Day by Feeling Grateful

Be Grateful for the bed you just slept in...the roof over your head...the carpet or floor under your feet...the running water...the soap...your shower...your toothpaste...your clothes...your shoes...the car that you drive...the refrigerator that keeps your food cold...your job...your friends.

Be Grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need...the restaurants...the utilities...services...and electrical appliances that make your life effortless.

Be Grateful for the magazines and the books that you read...and television programs of interest.

Be Grateful for the chair that you sit on...the sidewalks and pavement that you walk on.

Be Grateful for the weather...the sun & the sky...the birds & the trees...the grass...and the rain.

(Courtesy to Sherrie for the above)

The foregoing gave me cause to muse and ponder about things for which I am truly grateful:

I am grateful to having been raised as a farm girl. Yes, I often thought about 'city life', but my rural experiences far outweighed those of municipal towns and cities.

I am grateful for the produce we grew without pesticides and the orchards of apples, cherries, peaches
.

I am grateful for the heritage I have in being Canadian. My father's ancestors belonged to The Thirteen Colonies (originally British); my mother's previous families were Pennsylvanian Dutch (German).

I am grateful for the friends I've encountered through life's journey...from various 'walks of life'.

I am grateful for the travels to many countries and learning about their cultures: Europe, the Caribbean,

many states in USA, Mexico, South America and 3 or 4 times across Canada (my homeland).

For the abounding scenery across our fair land, inspired by Nature, I am truly grateful.

For the birds and wildlife, the bees and butterflies in my 'corner of the world' I am grateful.

For glorious sunsets and sunrises, for green rolling hills, for flowing streams and rivers, I am grateful.

For the seasons of the year, I am grateful: Spring's new foliage and flowers... Summer's warm balmy weather and beaches...Autumn's Jack-Frost-scenic country...Winter's ice crystals and snow on the evergreens. They afford us the opportunity for a varying wardrobe for the seasonal weather changes.

For awakening each morning, I am grateful: A new day has dawned with a wide range of discovery.

G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E...This is What it Means to Me!

(by Barton Goldsmith* ~ published by Tribune News Service)

This has been a difficult year for many people, myself included. I'm getting through it because I sought good counsel, have supportive friends...and continue to count my blessings. I love the holidays because they remind me of all that we are grateful for...despite the temporary setbacks that life can hand us all.

If you have your health, be happy! Millions don't, and those of us who do, need to treasure it and do all we can to maintain it. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that this really is the most important thing in life. Without it, the struggle to move forward is amplified, but those with major health issues can find reasons to be grateful. A loving family, caring doctors & nurses...and hope for the future are just a few.

If you have a family or friends who love you, feel the joy! There are many who have no one! That kind of loneliness is depressing...and at this time of year, the sadness can get worse as you compare your life with the lives of others around you. This is where you have to take care of yourself by breaking out of your shell and reaching out to others. A great way to do this is by volunteering in your community. You make a difference to people who need your help; you will meet others who are caring.

If you feel you have lost everything, it's time to re-evaluate! You can lose your job, your spouse, even your dog...and any of these losses can make you feel that life is not worth living...but that is wrong. The real truth is that no matter how little you have, there are millions of others with less. Look at what you've got and try to appreciate it. Your life may be better than most people's on this planet.

If you hate your life right now, trust that things will change! In fact, the only thing you can count on is 'change' ~ it's the only constant in the Universe! Hate your commute? Well, what if you didn't have a job to go to, a car to get you there with, and money to put gas in your tank? You need to keep things in perspective...and be grateful for what you have. If you have it in your head that you need to do something different, you have begun the process of change.

*Dr. Barton Goldsmith, a psychotherapist in Westlake Village, California

is the author of...“The Happy Couple: How to Make Happiness a Habit,

One Little Loving Thought at a Time.”

From the MUTTS cartoon, man of the house has filled his dog's bowl with favourite morsels. Standing erect, arching his back and holding the dish extended in front of him, lovingly calls, EARL! DINNER! Earl rushes to him, jumps into his arms with Kiss, Kiss and more Kiss, Kisses...and his master's heart bursts with love given to him. Earl runs to his bowl, eats hungrily, wags his tail ~ Giving Thanks!

If we don't feel grateful for what we already have,

what makes us think we'd be happy with more?

(Author unknown)

Merle Baird-Kerr...written November 20, 2014

To comment about this article...email to:

inezkate@gmail.com or mbairdkerr@cogeo.ca

Personal Comment: Locally, I played with Mary at a few bridge clubs. She was intelligent, was always attractively dressed and well groomed, drove a brand-name car and lived alone in a spacious 2-bedroom apartment. She was lonely...and to rid this feeling, she'd go the malls and shop for clothes which gave her pride and satisfaction. She asked me once what I'd suggest she do. From the local newspaper, I snipped out a column with many organizations and charities looking for Volunteers from nursing homes to 'shut ins', from hospitals to animal shelters, from fund-raisers to drivers for the Red Cross, etc. She had the car..she had the time..she had.the personality...she had the opportunities for relating to and providing happiness for people. All this she rejected! What she wanted were persons to befriend her instead...

failing to  realize that 'when given ~ one receives in return'.